My Name is Jack
by insane.lil.piratess
Summary: You know the kind of pirate that does nothing but bad things and then wonders why he can't get anything right? Well, that was Jack! But now, with the help of a few old pals, Jack's on the quest for good karma and eternal life... but it's never so simple.
1. Calypso's Karmic Beliefs

**Author's Note****: Here, just a quick note before we begin; you don't have to have watched **_**My Name is Earl **_**to read this and you don't have to have read Rob Kidd's **_**Jack Sparrow **_**series, either! I'll explain everything! **

**Disclaimer:**** I own the plot only! POTC belongs to Disney and Arabella, Fitz and co. belong to Rob Kidd. If I own anyone, it'll be someone on Jack's list I made up!**

* * *

**Chapter 1  
****--  
**_Calypso's Karmic Beliefs_

* * *

"Bugger, bugger, bugger, bugger, bugger!"

These are the only words you would have heard the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow mutter in a continuous loop if you had been on that tiny little uncharted island he was about to flop helplessly onto.

Jack swam – swam here having the meaning of practically doing 'the worm' through the water like a distressed fish – to the shores and slumped down onto the ground, a cloud of sand swirling around him as he did so.

As you may have already realized, Jack was now out of a boat. Why? Karma. Simple as that.

You see, witty Jack had recently lost his beloved _Black Pearl_ to his mutinous ex-first mate, Barbossa, leaving him with a small dinghy barely strong enough to hold his weight. But, as long as Jack had the charts to the fabled Fountain of Youth, he didn't seem to mind what he sailed on.

He continued to cheat, lie and steal his way forwards, but it was about time karma had enough of Jack's pirate ways, and sunk his little boat, loosing him all the supplies he had 'borrowed' and ensured he got a future slap from a prostitute he had… _met_ while he was there!

And karma wasn't the _only _one who'd had enough of Jack…

As the huge sun began to set on the horizon, Jack fell onto his back, examining the dirt covering his chipped nails, thinking of the least important thing for his situation; what would be the first thing he touched when he drank from the Fountain of Youth and became immortal.

He wondered if his senses would change and if he would gain super-human powers in the process. I think it was quite fair to say Jack was excited about gaining his never-ending life.

But little did he know, karma wouldn't let him get to the Fountain any time soon… unless of course he changed his ways and… well, you know all the rest.

Suddenly, a humongous crash erupted through the gentle waves of the sea and gathered into a large shape, rising above the rest of the ocean, a sharp breeze biting at Jack's skin as he rose into a sitting position and watched a rather large and watery Tia Dalma shape smirking above him.

"That's interesting…"

"Ah, but not as interesting as t'e mess ya've found yaself in, witty Jack…" grinned the wave-Calypso, water dropping from her arms as she indicated to Jack's small island.

The captain looked around himself and smiled, shyly. "It's not all that bad, luv," he grinned, nervously, although he hadn't convinced himself – and quite frankly, Calypso wasn't falling for it either.

"Ya don't fool me, Jack Sparra. T'is an act of bad karma you 'ave committed to be 'ere, and t'is an act of good karma ya must commit to get away…" said she, widely grinning at an uncomfortable-looking Jack.

He raised an eyebrow, twitching as he tried to make sense of everything. Eventually, he responded with;

"Come again?"

Calypso's watery lips turned upwards into a mischievous smile as Jack rose to his feet below her.

He watched, his mouth hung wide open as she seemed to jump forwards, her arms outstretched as if she was about to grab Jack and lift him from the beach he stood on, but her body simply merged in with the now-fierce waves and washed high over Jack's waist, almost knocking the captain from his feet.

Jack hardly had time to work out would had just happened before the sea rushed backwards into its original position, leaving Calypso in her human form standing before him, and a shape scratched into the wet sand.

The captain flinched before eying the sea goddess up and down, raising a singular eyebrow when his gaze came across the karmic sign carved into the sand.

"That's… _very _interesting!"

To Jack, it seemed like two tadpoles in a… rather rude position, which explains why he turned his head to the side, trying to view the symbol in all possible ways, smirking to himself as Calypso rolled her deep brown eyes .

"Ya see, Jack, if ya continue doing bad things, then bad things will happen to ya in return," she began, pulling Jack's attention from the sign beneath their feet. "And if ya do good things--"

She paused, bending down to pick up Jack's famous tricorn hat from its floating position on the small waves, gently handing it back to the confused looking pirate with a straight expression washed across her face.

"-- then good t'ings will happen," she finished.

Jack took his hat as he glanced at the goddess with a mystified look swept across his face.

Sensing his expression, Calypso smiled, every single one of her black teeth showing whilst Jack crammed the hat against his skull.

"And if ya do good things, witty Jack…" she started up again, turning away to face the rippling ocean, "ya never know what good t'ings karma will offer in return…"

Jack's eyes suddenly began to sparkle. "The Fountain!" he realized, pointing at Calypso as he yelled out those very two words.

The goddess merely smiled; "Karma works in mysterious ways, Jack Sparra… ya never know what ya may be rewarded wit'."

She winked at the captain, who was now bubbling up, with excitement rushing through his every vein and contaminating his blood.

Grinning, Jack looked Calypso in the eye and spoke; "So, prey tell, 'ow do I summon this _darma _thing then, luv?"

"_Karma_, Jack Sparra, and karma ya cannot summon like da kraken. T'is simply a rule, witty Jack, and follow dis rule and ya never know what could 'appen…"

Unfortunately for Calypso, Jack was now raising his eyebrow in confusion, again.

"So, if I follow your bloody rule, then I can find the Fountain of You--"

Jack was cut off by the goddess, who had now lost her patience with him; "Jack Sparra, if ya still don' understand, I can't 'elp ya! Right all of ya wrongs and ya luck may change! A woman is on dis island, an' she can get off it, an' will be more dan happy to take ya wit' her!"

The pirate simply raised an eyebrow, a grin spreading across his face.

"Do _not _take advantage of 'er, witty Jack!" Calypso ordered him, beginning to calm down as she did so. "She won' fall fer it! Ya will understand when she crosses ya path!"

"And, _how _will said bonny lass get us away from this godforsaken place?" questioned Jack as Calypso began to walk into the waves.

The goddess turned to face him, another mysterious grin creeping over her black lips. "Ya will soon understand, Jack Sparra…"

Nothing more happened.

It all went silent and before Jack could even produce a blink, Calypso was gone, the waves were gently rippling again and he was alone.

Well, not _quite _alone…

Little did Jack know, a woman was appearing from the woods behind as he muttered to himself, cursing Calypso's riddles.

"--and it's _Captain _Jack Sparrow!" said he, finishing his silent rant as a grey blanket began to cover over the sky.

"Oh my stars… Jack Sparrow?!"

Jack's ears pricked up. He knew that voice… in fact, it was unmistakable. A smirk spread across his face as he merely responded with;

"Belle, me lass, it's _Captain _Jack Sparrow!"

* * *

**Author's Note:**** And, we'll stop there for today! Does this count as a cliff-hanger? Well, anyway, those of you who know Arabella Smith… then YAY! And those of you who don't… meet Belle! In the next chapter, I mean!**

**Please review! (That is if you didn't think it sucked!)**


	2. Arabella

**Author's Note:**** Yay! Thank ye, guys! 5 reviews for the first chapter has gotta be good, right?! So, to celebrate, here's chapter 2! Now, if any one can think of a few items I could put on Jack's list, please say! I give ye credit!**

Replies to anonymous reviewers:

**Piratess-Bell:** Aw, thanks! Um… well, here's chapter 2! Thanks for reviewing!

**MagicCatnip:** Hehe! Thanks! Um… well, I suppose I couldn't think of anything better to say! ;) -_imagines Jack flopping like a fish- _LOL! XD Thanks for the review

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**Chapter 2  
****--  
**_Arabella_

* * *

The trademark grin he owned spread across his face as Jack turned to face the woman he hadn't seen since… well, it was almost further back than he could remember! Although his mind refreshed when he saw Arabella Smith, her smile looking just as beautiful as it did when they were younger.

"So, how are you then, luv?" he questioned her, holding out his arms in a warm greeting.

"Don't ye dare '_luv_' me, Jack Sparrow!" Arabella's strong sailor's accent snapped at him. Jack flinched backwards when she came closer, realizing her 'smile' was no more than a frown, which happened to be directed exactly at him.

"It's _Captai_--" he began to correct her, but Belle didn't hesitate to interrupt;

"Jack, how can ye be here?!" she demanded, placing her hands on her hips, her brown eyes flashing at him. "Ye _died_! And it was only about a year ago when ye did! And ye're standing right before me eyes!"

Jack furrowed his brow in confusion. He had _died_? Jack had almost forgotten about the incident with Davy Jones and the Kraken, but eventually he snapped back into the reality of things and responded with a simple;

"Oh…"

"What are you doing, Jack? How are ye alive again? I'm not hallucinating, am I? It couldn't be… no, this can't be Davy Jones' Locker… it was only a moment ago I was aboard _The Raven… _what happened to the crew?"

Arabella looked Jack up and down and met his chocolate brown eyes with her lighter ones.

"Did you see what happened, Jack?" she asked, in no more than a hoarse whisper. "Why am I here?"

Jack grinned, evilly yet charmingly as he eyed Arabella's older look;

Although she was obviously taller and her tangled auburn hair was a lot longer than it used to be, she hadn't changed very much. She had now swapped the tattered dress Jack had always seen her in for simple pirate clothing consisting of a long baggy white shirt and a tight black waistcoat, a few belts and a sash as well as knee high black boots over greying breeches.

"_Jack!_"

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, the captain sighed a little; "Belle, you and I are very much alive, darlin'!"

Arabella opened her mouth to argue, but Jack held up one dirty hand as he swayed towards her, continuing with his explanation;

"Look, luv, I can explain about good ol' Davy and his terrible beastie dragging me down to that godforsaken place, but not here. So whats says you about gettin' me aboard your charming vessel, wherever it may be, and we can discuss this whole bloody matter on our way to Tortuga, savvy?"

There was a short lived silence before Arabella raised one eyebrow at her old friend;

"Why Tortuga?" she queried.

"Because, Belle-me-lass, I left the most superstitious man I know on the ruddy docks there and am in need of his… help," Jack replied, now only standing a few inches from Arabella, grinning widely.

"But why? And why the hell aren't ye dead?" Arabella demanded of him, sternly.

Jack held back a smile, pretending to look hurt at her comment. "Luv, you _do _sound strangely disappointed, considering the fact I'm still alive…"

Belle blinked up at him. "What if you found out Fitz had died and then you saw him standing right in front of you?!" she eventually came back with, smiling a little as she did so.

Jack twitched at her comment. "To be honest, luv, I wouldn't feel much different than I do right now!" he grinned, softly.

Arabella rolled her eyes before reaching into the pocket of her breeches and whipping out a small compass.

"Is that…?" Jack began to ask, but he didn't need to say anymore before Arabella answered him.

"My mothers compass? Yes, it is," said she, following the needle as it span. "I need it to find _The Raven_."

Jack furrowed his brow at her last words as he began to follow her. "You mean _La Fleur_, darlin'?"

Arabella turned around to face him with a slight smirk appearing in the corner of her mouth. "No, Mr. Reece has _La Fleur_ as he was destined to in my mothers will. All I have is--"

"--the invisible sails," Jack finished for her, to be smiled at warmly by his old friend.

"Aye," she replied as Jack looked over her shoulder, down at the compass.

The two watched whilst the red needle span around in a few perfect circles, finally stopping when pointed a little to the South East.

"Ah-ha!"

--

Arabella raised one of her auburn coloured eyebrows at Jack, who was sitting at the other end of a long pointed table, leaning back on his chair as he casually played with a small ring, which obviously belonged to Arabella.

"So, you escaped Davy Jones Locker with no added help, then gathered the Brethren Court together and called war on the East India Trading Company, stabbed the heart of Davy Jones, killing him and then you murdered Cutler Beckett with practically your bare hands and set free Billy from _The Dutchman's_ damned crew."

She sighed, "He's alright, isn't he?"

Jack looked up from the ring he was examining on his little finger. "Fine, luv. But you forgot the part about me saving the whelp's life."

Arabella simply rolled her eyes. "And you saved the life of Billy's son and lived happily ever after!" she muttered, sarcastically.

The captain grinned again. "Not as happy as it could be, Belle," he smirked, pointing at her with one dirty finger.

Arabella felt her heart skip a beat as she looked up from the scratched table they sat at. "R-really?" she asked, her throat suddenly feeling dry. "And why is that?"

Jack rose from his seat and sauntered over to his old first mate, beaming from ear to ear, a rum bottle hanging casually in his hand. He edged closer to her face so their lips were only inches apart…

"I need to find the Fountain of Youth…" Jack whispered, his warm breath wafting over Arabella's face.

"What?"

She opened her dark eyelids to look back into Jack's chocolate brown eyes, which seemed to be moving further and further away from her.

"Belle-me-lass," started the captain again, resuming is position at the opposite end of the table, picking up Arabella's onyx ring again. "How much do you know 'bout karma?"

"Karma?" repeated Arabella, itching at her auburn locks. "Not much. Although I knew a lad once, Earl was his name. He believed in this religion or whatever it is and made a list of all the bad things he'd ever done to and went around making up for all of it. Pretty strange fer a pirate to do that, if ye ask me, but all the same, he seemed to have good luck after he wrote that thing."

She smiled at Jack as he raised his eyebrows and nodded, clearly observing all of this.

"A list, eh?" he murmured.

"Aye," Arabella answered, her pearly brown eyes shining. "Well, I'm off t' bed. Ye can have this cabin, mine's next door."

Jack nodded, placing the ring back down on the oak table. "Ye sure you don't want me to keep you company in there, Belle?" he smirked at her, raising one eyebrow.

Arabella smiled, softly as she made her way towards the door. "Goodnight, Jack."

Jack turned his interest back to her ring, before a question suddenly popped into his mind, jut as Arabella left. "Wait, Belle!"

"Yes?" Arabella answered, poking her head around the side of the woodworm-bitten door, to be confronted with Jack's smirking face again.

"What happened to this karma lad in the end?" he enquired, propping his feet up on her table.

"Who, Earl?" she responded, beginning to question this in her mind. "Uh… he drowned."

Jack's face suddenly fell. "Ah."

"But besides that, he had the best luck a man could have!" Arabella finished, quickly, smiling brightly as she did so.

"Right…" Jack muttered, dully, rolling his eyes a little. "G'night, luv."

"Night, Jack," his old friend wished him, smiling her own gentle smile at him as he picked up her small dark-stoned ring again.

As the door slammed shut, Jack stopped playing with Arabella's ring and thought. A list seemed the best option… but how would he remember all the bad things he'd ever done?

"_Easy, Jackie!"_ a voice grinned in his ear. Jack looked around himself, only to find a miniature version of himself appearing on his shoulder. _"You can ask me…"_

Jack smirked at this. Soon he would be immortal in no time. Reaching over the table, he grabbed a piece of parchment and a peacock feathered quill, examining it before beginning to write.

"_Now remember, Jackie," _the little 'Jack' said again. _"Remember what Bella said. All the bad things!"_

"Got it, mate!" Jack grinned, broadly, meeting pen with paper again.

"_Right, now number one…"_

* * *

**Author's Note:**** Yeah, I just **_**had **_**to put Earl's name in there! Stay tuned for the next part, mates! And remember to review! Or just… read the next chapter… hits are good too!**

**Oh and if anyone knows where I can find a good POTC/Sweeney Todd crossover fic, do tell! I can't seem to find any! ;) LOL! **


	3. The List

**Author's Note:**** Woo! So here we are with chapter 3! Sorry if this one's a little shorter than the others. I wanted to post it before Thursday (it's the day of bad luck day for me :( LOL!) Anyways, here we go…**

* * *

**Chapter 3  
****--  
**_The List_

* * *

Arabella Smith always got an early start in the mornings. In fact, she usually awoke to a clear deck as all of _The Dark Raven_ were lazily tucked up in their hammocks.

But today was not the case.

As she emerged from her cabin, the sun beginning to rise on the horizon, Belle's eyes met the sight of Captain Jack Sparrow sat on a barrel, almost fast asleep, four or so pieces of parchment on the deck around his feet, as well as her feather quill sprawled out over them.

Arabella rolled her eyes, although that didn't stop her from smiling as she sauntered over to her sleeping friend, ready to shake him awake.

"Jack…" she muttered, shaking his shoulder, slightly. "Jack, wake up, ye lazy dolt!"

The pirate captain made a small grunt as his kohl-lined chocolate eyes opened to be met with Arabella's own.

"What on earth are ye doing out here?" she questioned him, her light brown eyes flashing as she placed one hand on one hip.

Jack twitched as he looked up at her, still looking almost half asleep. "Wha'?"

"Have ye ever heard of sleeping in a cabin?" Arabella asked, smirking a little as she did so.

Jack rubbed at his eyes before reaching down to the deck and grabbing two of the four pieces of paper in his rough hands. "I made a list, luv," he confirmed, handing her the parchment, grinning to himself. "Front an' back."

Smiling softly as she took the dirty paper from him, Arabella began to scan over Jack's scruffy handwriting and all the items on his list.

"It's not finished yet, luv," her old friend stated as she was about a third of her way down the first page.

Arabella peeked over the top of the paper, raising one eyebrow at him. "Well, why don't ye just make one list fer now. If ye make up fer all these things, you'll provide enough good luck for _two _people!"

Jack shrugged, his trademark smirk still planted across his face. "Whatever ye say, m'lady," he said, tipping his tricorn hat and mocking a bow directed at her.

"Oh, Fitz is on here!" Arabella chirped, happily, pointing at the page.

Jack rolled his eyes.

"Unfortunately…"

He was beginning to wonder if Belle had forgotten about Fitzwilliam betraying him and trying to kill him on a few occasions… in fact Jack was pretty certain Fitz should be making a list of his _own_!

But this wasn't about Fitzdalton P. William the Whatever. This was about _his_ list. _His_ karma. _His _future immortality. _His _never ending life…

"Hold up there, Jack," Arabella suddenly piped up, looking over the page at a now cringing Jack.

"Aye, luv?"

"Number 156, broke Arabella's quill!" said she, slightly frowning at her old friend.

The captain just smirked, innocently, whipping out another feathered pen from his cloak pocket. "Luckily I carry a spare, luv!"

Arabella rolled her eyes again, resuming her reading place on the page of Jack's list, soon to flip it over and begin to scan down the opposite side.

Eventually, she stopped half way down and looked the captain in the eye. "You do realize this'll take ye _years_, Jack?"

"That's only a matter of perspective, darlin'," replied Jack, almost immediately. "All I do is trot over to all these bonny lasses and whelps, apologize and be on my merry way, savvy?!"

Belle sighed, biting her bottom lip which Jack had noticed she only did in anxiousness or frustration. Now, being in frustration.

"It's not like that, Jack," she began to explain, slowly. "At least that's not what Earl did. He made up to these people properly. Gave them what they wanted! A lot more than saunter up to them and give them his 'deepest apologies'!"

Soon enough, Arabella found Jack sighing.

"Ye're gonna have to help me then, luv!" he said to her, rising from his seat on the barrel and stepping closer to his old friend.

"I thought you were gettin' Gibbs to help ye!" enquired Belle, her usual eyebrow raised again.

Jack grinned, edging even closer towards her, leaning over so his lips almost brushed against her cheek. "Seems like I'll be needing all the help, Belle-me-lass…"

Arabella couldn't help but produce a small grin, although she would rather Jack not get _too _close to her... but she then smiled at something else.

"Then I'd be obliged to help ye, _Captain _Sparrow," she murmured. "When we get to Tortuga."

She knew Jack was still smirking, although she couldn't see the look on his face.

"How about _now_, darlin'?" he queried, softly.

"How about _no_!" Belle responded, placing her hands on his chest and forcing him from her. "Do _not_ take advantage of me, Jack!" she warned, before turning her back on him, dropping his list paper on the deck behind her as she made for her cabin.

Jack made a small roll of his eyes, but still sniggered as he rushed over to the parchment pieces before the wind blew them away.

Gently, the pirate captain muttered to himself;

"Something's never change, eh, Belle?"

* * *

**Author's Note:**** Yay! Sparrabella moments! XD Anyways, I still need some items for Jack's list! Please help! –**_**puppy dog eyes**_**-**

**HUGE thanks to **_xAquatic-Gypsyx_ **for those items for Jackie's list! You'll **_**definitely**_** be seeing Jack giving his apologizes to Fitz… and Fitzy being… Fitz like! LOL!**

**Another BIG thanks to all my reviewers so far: **_Blackgrrl92, xAquatic-Gypsyx, Piratess-Bell, Oceangoddess, MagicCatnip, Jennifer Lynn Weston _**and last but not least (lol, I hate that saying!) **_Natalie-07_**. You guys are the best!**

**Boy, this was a long A/N! Sorry for that, dearies! Please remeber to keep reading!**


	4. There is a Karma

**Author's Note:**** Again, hi! I'm skipping the rest of Arabella and Jack's journey and writing the next part when they arrive in Tortuga! And Gibbs is in this one! YAY!**

* * *

**Chapter 4  
****--  
**_There is a Karma_

* * *

After Jack had made his list and tried to take advantage of her, Arabella decided to stay well clear of him until they reached Tortuga and he could begin righting all his wrongs. She was secretly hoping they could visit dear old Fitz first. After all, she hadn't seen him in years and he was kind towards her, even if Jack said it was only fake.

Despite all this, she was quite pleased when a sailor yelled out; "Land ho!"

Arabella breathed a sigh of relief. This would mean she wouldn't have to ignore Jack any more... although seeing Jack made it impossible for anyone to ignore him anyway, it didn't make much of a difference.

Captain Sparrow also looked up at these two small words too. He took one glance back down at his list before folding it up and stuffing it into the inner pocket of his long coat and sauntered over to the centre of the deck to meet up with Arabella.

"Remember Jack, once you've started to do good things, ye can't go back!" his old friend pointed out, flicking her auburn hair over her shoulder.

Jack just flashed his trademark grin at her. "Now why would I do that, darlin'?" he questioned, slowly, examining his nails, casually.

"Because ye would," Arabella simply answered, folding her arms across her chest.

Jack considered this before eventually nodding. "True…"

Belle rolled her eyes, turning her back on the pirate again and made her way towards the gang plank down to the docks.

"One day you will come over to my side…" Jack sniggered, so quietly he almost couldn't even hear himself.

"Come _on_, Jack!" Arabella's voice pushed him as she was about to step onto the Tortugan land. "If my memories of Tortuga are correct, then I don't exa'tly wanna be walkin' around that town alone!

He rolled his eyes a little, beginning to follow her down the gang plank silently muttering to himself the same words he was thinking;

"One day, Belle, one day…"

--

"Ah, brings back good memories, eh, lass?!" Jack mused as he swung his arm around Arabella's shoulders, which she didn't hesitate in pushing off. Even though it was broad daylight, all the population of Tortuga were clearly drunk and involved in a fight.

"I think that's a comment ye can keep to yerself, Jack!" Belle muttered, carefully eyeing the inhabitants of the town she grew up in. "Where are we gonna find him, anyway?"

"A place you should be awfully familiar with, luv!" grinned the rogue pirate, his smirk growing even wider at the expression on Arabella's face.

"You mean…?" she began to ask before Jack interrupted her as he pushed on the wood of a nearby door, leading her into a dark candle-lit tavern filled with even more drunken sailors.

"Aye, lass, The Faithful Bride!" he announced, grinning to himself as Arabella looked around the place she had worked – and lived - at since… well, since she could care to remember!

"This place hasn't changed one bit…" she whispered, placing one hand on the wall made simply of timber wood from old, wrecked boats and inhaling a deep breath of the cramped air. "Surprising it hasn't fallen down yet, ain't it?"

Jack nodded, truthfully, although it was fair to say he wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention to his dear old friend. He was searching. Searching for Gibbs.

There were a few occasions in which Jack thought he had spotted his first mate… but none of those were a success. To tell the truth, Gibbs could quite frankly be anywhere by now… and he may even have been far from Tortuga.

But, luckily for the pirate, he eventually spotted the elder sailor and dragged a-happy-to-see-her-old-home-even-though-she-hated-it-in-the-first-place Arabella towards him.

"Gibbs?" Jack asked him, kicking at his boot. "_Gibbs_!"

"He's asleep, Jack!" Arabella stated, clearly pointing out the obvious as the one and only Joshaemee Gibbs was lay over a table, snoring rather loudly.

Ignoring her comment, Captain Sparrow grabbed his first mate by the shoulder and shook him roughly. "_Gibbs_!" he hissed, beginning to get impatient.

Various moans and groans came from Gibbs as he began to sit up and blink open his squinting eyes and look up at his captain.

"Jack?" he questioned, still groggy from the waking up he had just encountered. "You know its bad luck to wake a man when he's sleeping!"

"And it's also bad luck to have a woman on board," Jack began, grinning, "but that didn't stop me bringing Belle along now, eh?"

He gestured to Arabella, who was twirling a lock of her auburn hair around her finger, smiling weakly at the old sailor.

Suddenly, Gibbs felt no tiredness any more, and his squinty little eyes widened "Mother's love!" he gasped. "Laura Smith?!"

"_Arabella_ Smith," Belle quickly corrected him. "I'm her daughter."

Jack smirked in agreement, his mischievous grin growing wider as he flung his arm around her shoulders, which Arabella rolled her eyes at, but accepted with a small reluctant sigh.

Gibbs nodded, observing all of the information before him. "So what brings ye to Tortuga, Jack?" he asked, reaching out for a tankard of old rum on the other side of the old oak table.

"Can't a man visit a dear old friend any more without being questioned about it?!" beamed Jack, swinging his arms outwards in a greeting, softly smacking his female companion in the stomach.

"Ow…" muttered Arabella, wincing a little before rolling her eyes and saying;

"Jack, we have no time fer games, so make this quick… _without _any more injuries!"

With that, she stalked off towards the bar she used to stand behind almost every day as a teenaged girl, two shillings resting in the palm of her hand.

Jack sniggered to himself before pulling out a chair and taking a seat opposite to Gibbs, waiting for his first mate to speak first.

"So…" Joshaemee started, placing down his now-empty tankard on the wood. "What's yer _real _business here, Jack?"

The captain began to examine his filthy nails again, leaning back on his chair so it was swinging on its back two legs. "I just figured; you're probably the most superstitious man I know, Master Gibbs, and that being true, I suppose ye may be able to help me and the lass out on our newest… conquest, savvy?"

Gibbs nodded, knowingly. "I suppose I could do that… the Fountain, is it?"

"Aye…" Jack whispered, his chocolate brown eyes lighting up at that one word. "But I need to change me luck first!"

"Why?" inquired Gibbs, leaning in closer as Jack beckoned him inwards.

"Because, mate, if ye do good things, then good things will happen to you, savvy? And if ye do bad things, like I and you already do, then…" the captain spoke, but Gibbs easily finished for him.

"… then bad things will happen…" Joshaemee said, softly, then raising an eyebrow. "Are ye talkin' about karma, Jack?"

"That's the one!" Jack raised his voice again, pointing at his old friend with a dirty finger. "Karma, mate! Think of the opportunities! If we just right all the wrong things I've ever done, we could 'ave good luck for an eternity of life! Which is what we will have if I do good things and karma leads us to the Fountain, savvy? So… is it worth it, mate?"

"Aye," Gibbs cheered. "But… how are ye gonna know all the bad things you've ever done?"

"Ah…" Jack grinned, reaching into his inner cloak pocket and handing Gibbs the two pieces of folded up paper he had been identifying as his list. The elder sailor took it with curious eyes and began to start reading from random spots on the page;

"Number 23, Stole and sunk Anamaria's boat."

"Definitely sorry for that one!" Jack put in, smirking to himself.

"Number 55, sold the eunuch to _The Flying Dutchman_," Gibbs read out, simply. "Number 56, called Will a eunuch."

"Yep, I'll make up for those ones, too!"

"Number 89, held a grudge against Grandmama for trying to kill me three times." At this item Gibbs looked up to raise a single eyebrow at Jack, who merely responded with;

"Ah-huh!"

Shaking his head, the elderly pirate turned back to Jack's list; "Number 97, stole Tia Dalma's ring."

"Yup!"

"Number 117, ran away from Teague."

"Not exactly sure I'm sorry for that one, though," Jack added, still smiling widely.

Gibbs gave a little roll of the eyes at his captain as he flipped the first of the two list pages over and scanned over his scruffy handwriting again, squinting a little over Jack's scribbles and ink blotches.

"Number 134, insulted Fitzy in too many ways to keep count."

"Unfortunately…" muttered our favourite pirate, rolling his chocolate brown orbs underneath his eyelids.

Joshaemee placed Jack's list down firmly on the table. "Jack?"

"Uh-huh?"

"Who be this Fitzy?" questioned the sailor, curiously.

Sparrow turned his attention from his nails to look into his old friends face. "That doesn't matter, mate, just keep reading!" he commanded, waving his hand through the air at him.

"But Cap'n?"

"What?" Jack snapped a little, growing rather impatient with him.

"Ye have a lot of things on this bloomin' list, and instead of sitting here reading shouldn't we be settin' to work?" Gibbs asked, hopefully, seeing as his reading wasn't the best and he found it the most boring thing in the world.

Jack, considering this, nodded, with a small smile, his face over-flowing with excitement. "Aye," he agreed.

"So, which one do we do first, Cap'n?" queried Joshaemee, his squinty eyes looking like those of a little kid walking down the stairs and eyeing all his gifts on Christmas morning as he leant in toward Jack as if he and the younger pirate were sharing a huge secret between themselves.

"I don't know…" Jack responded, full with just as much excitement. "Maybe you should choose one, mate!" he suggested, pushing the paper at Gibbs as if it were cursed.

"Oh, no, no Jack, its _bad_ luck to interfere with karma…" lied Gibbs, quickly pushing back the papers. "You should wait fer karma to send ye a _signal_!"

Jack raised his eyebrow. "Sometimes, Master Gibbs, I swear you're making all these bloody bad luck things up!" he cried, flinging his arms up in the air for exaggeration.

"_Jack_! Be careful! I'm carryin' drinks here!"

The two men looked over towards Arabella; her arms full with three tankards, the barmaid clearly too lazy to even give her a tray for them.

Rolling his eyes at her moody behaviour, which had been going on for two days or so now, Jack turned his attention back to Gibbs, carelessly grabbing one of the tankards from Belle's arms.

And, well, you can guess what happened next.

"JACK!" Arabella screeched, causing the pirate's ears to ring as she indicated to the spilt rum on the table. "Ye bloody dolt, can't ye watch it?!"

"She definitely has some o' Laura in 'er," Gibbs muttered to himself, running his finger through the spilt rum and licking it off whilst dear Bella continued to yell at Jack as if they were a married couple.

Sparrow rolled his eyes, again as she ranted on. But, suddenly, he noticed something. Karma had sent him a sign. "Belle, luv--"

"_No_, Jack, let me finish! I--"

"Oh, shut it, lass! Karma just sent us a sign!" cried Jack, over her ranting, causing silence to fall over all three of them.

"What kind of sign?" Arabella asked, her PMS-ing suddenly seeming to stop.

"A bloomin' good one, that's what kind of sign, lass!" exclaimed Gibbs, as he and Jack both looked down at the yellow papered list, their eyes widened.

Joining them, eventually, Belle could also see this so-called sign as she looked over the list. A splodge of rum and smudged the words of number 78…

"Number 78, practically killed Tumen on Isla Fortuna," read out Arabella, picking up the paper and glancing down at it with her brown orbs transforming into wide circles in her head. "Do ye realize what this means?"

"Um… we go to Yucatán?" Jack suggested, shrugging a little.

Belle shook her head at her old friend, slightly smiling. She then turned her eyes to glance up at the ceiling and whispered;

"There _is_ a karma…"

* * *

**Author's Note:** **So, you like? Don't worry, Arabella will be over her PMS-ing by the time they reach** **Yucatán! Thankfully! H****ow did ye like my longest chapter yet? Good? Yes, I thought so! Sorry about the lack of Sparrabella moments, I really do apologize! I'll put some in the next chapter I promise!**

**Thanks to all those who reviewed and an even **_**bigger**_** thanks to all those who reviewed with list items! You guys all rock!**

**I really wanna get up to 20 reviews, so if you have the time, just write a word or so… please? **_**–flutters eyelashes–**_


	5. Yucatán Peninsula

**Author's Note:**** Okay, here we have… YUCATÁN! Yay! Anyways, my deepest apologies to **_hurricane1714 _**if I said I'd put Will in here… I changed my mind about a minute ago! But I swear, he will **_**definitely**_** make an appearance! **

* * *

**Chapter 5  
****--  
**_Yucatán Peninsula_

* * *

_The Dark Raven_ swiftly moved through the ocean, heading towards a small looking island, with sweet smelling smoke rising into the sky and little huts facing towards lapping waves.

To be fair, it looked the same as it did the last time they had visited this place, to Jack anyway. But Arabella seemed to notice all the tiny differences.

"Oh my God, look how much it's _changed_, Jack!" she whispered, excitedly, causing her companion to glance at her with one eyebrow raised.

At first, Jack had figured she was being sarcastic, but he soon realized she wasn't doing anything of the sort as her eyes shined at the far view of the little village. Craning his head, the captain took another look back at the Yucatán, but only to wrinkle his brow at Arabella.

"Luv, it's not changed one bit!" he stated, waving a hand in front of Belle's transfixed gaze.

She eventually broke out of her trance and sighed. "Don't worry, ye'll definitely be able to see the changes once we get to shore.

--

Unfortunately, for Jack, he still couldn't note any changes as he, Arabella and Gibbs stepped from the long boat and onto the soft sands of the beach. The huts were still the same, and so were the palm trees and sweet smelling burning camp fires and the shaped boulders sitting on the beach still had the same carvings in them. _Nothing_ had changed! Neither had the fact no-one was there to greet them as they approached the village.

"I _told _you nothing had changed, lass!" noted Jack, smiling in triumph to himself as he looked around.

"Well noted, Captain!" agreed Gibbs, although he'd truthfully never visited Yucatán in his life! I suppose our old friend just wanted to be part of this conversation.

As the two men eyed the sights around them, Arabella paused and smirked when a whole tribe seemed to be trudging over the jagged hills in the close distance. All but one had notably dark skin, and tribal tattoos as well as – those few who weren't wearing the traditional Mayan clothing – muscled chests and various spears in their grasp.

But it was the two – or rather _three_ – upfront Arabella recognised without any effort. And the three of _them _seemed to recognise _her_…

The paler skinned man paused as a smile crept across his lips. A mangy old grey cat purring at his feet pricked up her flea bitten ears as the strange man flung her into his arms and scratched her underneath her little chin.

"Could it be, _ma soeur_?" he asked her, softly. "Could it be _dame_ Arabella? What do you say, _mon chef_?"

As the little cat seemed to meow in agreement, he turned to the man beside him, who also grinned as he adjusted his large feathered headdress.

"It is!" the tribal warrior declared. "It's Arabella!" He rotated his upper body to face his fellow villagers and cried in his Mayan dialect; "Lower your weapons!"

Shading his eyes, the Mayan looked further over a waving Arabella's body to notice two men sauntering to her either side. One of them definitely seemed too old for him to know, but as for the second… he was quite sure he knew who this man was;

"JACK! ARABELLA!" he called, excitedly, beckoning his paler friend and the scruffy old cat to follow him as he raced down the jagged hill they stood on towards the shore where their visitors were standing as still as tree trunks. The three of them were followed by two young looking children, crying out the simple sentence;

"Pa, wait for us!"

"It's them, Jack!" Arabella, back on the beach, cried, gripping onto Jack's sleeve.

Shielding his chocolate brown eyes, sarcastically and squinting at the five figures shouting and laughing as they bounded down towards the beach, Jack shrugged one shoulder.

"Nah, luv, I don't remember those two kids," he said, pessimistically. He let out a small moan as he glanced closer at them. "Bugger, the bloody cat's still alive!"

"_Jack_!" Arabella couldn't help but snigger as she pretended to scold her first captain. "That's a _horrible_ thing to say about poor Constance!"

Jack smirked as he turned to Belle, one of his dark brown eyebrows raised high into his forehead. "I _know_ you don't really care, luv!" he stated, smiling as Arabella pretended she couldn't hear him and, instead of answering, yelled;

"JEAN! TUMEN!"

The first to reach them was Tumen, the Mayan leader, who was rather a long distance from his companions as he wrapped his arms around Arabella and pulled her into a friendly hug.

"I can't believe you're both here!" he grinned, releasing her and moving towards Jack who held out both his arms in his own personal 'greeting' kind of way.

"Tumen, ma-yahte!" the pirate captain started to say before Tumen threw his arms around his old friend, crushing his ribs into his lungs. Twitching, Jack pulled free one of his arms and patted him on the back.

"Yeah, good to see you too, mate…" he muttered when he was finally released and the friendly Mayan moved to glance at Mr. Gibbs.

"How are you?" he inquired, in a rather sociable manner.

"Joshaemee Gibbs," introduced the elder man, smiling a black toothed grin. "Glad to make yer acquaintance, lad!"

"A pleasure, Master Gibbs!" beamed Tumen with a slight bob of the head as he took Joshaemee's outstretched hand and shook it firmly.

"So…" Jack started, eying his Aztec pal up and down. "What's with the hat?"

Instinctively, Tumen shot a hand up to his feathered headdress and grinned, about to answer his first captain's question before we wash interrupted by Arabella giggling as she was flung into the air by the paler skinned man and wrapped into a warm hug.

"Arabella, _mon ami_!" he grinned in his French tongue as he let go of his dear old friend. "It's good to see you!"

"As it is to see ye, Jean!" responded Belle, grinning from ear to ear as their French pal moved towards Jack and flung his arms over his shoulder, causing Captain Sparrow to wheeze at this.

"Jean…" gasped Jack, trying to breathe in all the fresh air he could, "Can't… ow… lungs… Jean!"

Chuckling as he took a step back, Jean giggled to himself. "Sorry, _mon Capitaine_!" he apologised as a 'meow' came from the cat approaching them, which Jean whisked up into his arms. "Come to greet our old friends, eh, _ma soeur_?"

_Soeur_, I hear you ask? Yes, this cat is Jean's sister. Constance is her name. It's all a little complicated really… she was transformed into a feline by the one and only Tia Dalma… and, I think it's fair to say she's pretty much pure evil…

Jack and Arabella both twitched at the sight of the smug smile of the grey cats' whiskered face.

"H-hello, Constance," greeted Bella, warily, a little surprised when the feline purred a greeting at her and Jack.

The captain just rolled his eyes and held a hand in front of his mouth as he whispered to his French friend; "Um… Jean, shouldn't that… _thing_ be dead by now?"

Jean shot a quick glare in Jack's direction before stroking his 'sister' reassuringly behind the ears. "We fear Constance may be… coming close to the end of her life now…" he told them, kissing her scraggly fur. "But we can't confirm it, _mes amis. _She may live longer as she still, technically, is a human!"

"That's terrible!" gasped Arabella, reaching out to stroke Constance's head, shocked when the cat allowed her to without flipping out and scratching her with her beastly yellow claws.

"Sorry to hear that!" Jack muttered, rather mournfully, or though he was really trying to cover over his wicked grin he wanted to show.

Jean shot him a quick warning glance.

"Pa! Jean!"

Our favourite pirates and their dear old friends turned at the sound of a young females' childish voice. Standing a little way behind Jean and Constance were two little children; an elder girl wearing bright Mayan clothes with thick black curly hair, twisting down about four inches or so past her shoulders and a younger looking lad with slightly browner locks and shining grey eyes, which stood out from the rest of his features.

"Ah, Jack, Arabella, let me introduce you to my two children!" Tumen beamed proudly, hugging the two kids tight. He introduced the little boy as Cizin and girl as Ixchel before smiling at the gaping impressions on Jack and Arabella's faces.

"What?" he asked, innocently. "You thought I would be totally incapable of having kids?"

"No," Jack answered, quickly. "Just would o' never thought you actually _would_!"

Ixchel flicked her black locks over her shoulder and looked Captain Sparrow up and down before meeting his chocolate brown eyes with her mother's grey ones.

"Jack Sparrow?" she asked, raising her two eyebrows at the now-sighing Captain.

"It's _Captain_ Jack Sparrow, luv!" he corrected, blinking his eyelids shut.

"Did you really escape an island with sea turtles lashed together as a raft?" queried Cizin, his grey orbs full of anticipation on hearing the grand adventures of the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow.

Jack flashed the two children a quick smile. Re-telling the tales of his adventures to people was one of the subjects he excelled in. "Maybe I should tell ye all about all of this later!" he promised them whilst Arabella briefly rolled her eyes.

"Uh… maybe you should clear a few things up for _us_ first, Jack," Tumen suggested, scratching at the hair underneath his headdress.

"Ah, _oui_!" agreed Jean, gleefully. "Constance and I would love to hear of your recent _aventures, mes amis_."

"Aye!" Gibbs suddenly piped up, after not having said anything for the whole of the conversation. "I be thinking I need to hear a little more about all this."

Jack nodded, clapping his hands and rubbing them together. "So… where's the food, mate?"

--

"Karma?"

Tumen raised one eyebrow as Jack leaned back in triumph as he completed giving Tumen, Jean, Arabella, Gibbs and the two kids a full account of his life.

"Karma," repeated Jack, grinning, widely.

Gibbs looked up from his rum bottle at his captain before starting to question him; "Um… Captain? Ye left out the part about the Kraken…."

"Never mind, Master Gibbs, that part in the story is not relevant to the conversation," interrupted Jack, quickly, not exactly wanting his old friends to know he was taken down to the depths by Davy Jones's terrible beastie.

But, unfortunately for him, they already knew…

"Ah _oui_, the kraken!" Jean began, smoothing down his ginger hair with one hand. "I believe I was with you when we heard about that, _oui_, Arabella?"

Jack followed Jean's pointed finger to meet the eyes of Belle, who was merely smiling. "Aye," she responded, taking a swig from her rum bottle. Then, taking a short breath, she began to explain;

"We were in New Orleans, 'bout a year back now. I was there for a short pirating break and staying with Jean and his family--"

Captain Sparrow suddenly held up a hand, stopping Arabella in mid-sentence. "Wait," he started, turning to Jean, one eyebrow hoisted up high into his forehead, "You have a family too?"

Jean smirked, "You sound surprised, _mon Capitaine_!"

Shrugging one of his shoulders up to his ear, Jack simply grinned again. "When did we get so old, eh?" he eventually came back with, causing all of the adults in the small hut to snigger while Cizin and Ixchel exchanged confused glances with one another.

"I don't get it," mouthed Cizin to his big sister, gaining Ixchel's shrug in response.

"Anyway…" Arabella started again, before explaining the whole story to her old friends; how she and Jean were shopping in the market when the word of Jack Sparrow's death spread around the town and it was all anyone could talk about for months. She then told them how she had left Billy a few months after everyone departed _La Fleur de la Mort _and how her mother died and Mr. Reece inherited her ship and she got the invisible sails.

This followed by a series of adventures Arabella had aboard her own ship, _The Dark Raven_ which Jack hadn't really the patience any more to listen to. Although, Ixchel and Cizin looked fascinated, smiling up at Belle when she finally finished.

"You did _all_ those things, Arabella?" inquired Cizin, still gapping at her.

Giggling to herself, Arabella nodded at the two children. "Aye," she replied, her pearly brown eyes shining just as the children's twin grey ones did.

"Even though you're a woman?" Ixchel asked, a wide grin smeared across her face.

"Aye," came Bella's response again. "Ye don't have to give up on yer own freedom just because ye aren't as strong as the men," she explained, looking at the males of the room on her last word.

She swore she could have heard Gibbs muttering, "it's bad luck to have a woman on board," beneath his breath, but she simply just ignored him.

"Wow…" whispered an inspired Ixchel. She then turned to look up at Tumen, her eyes still wide and unblinking. "I want to be just like Arabella when I grow up, Pa!"

Tumen laughed a little, stroking Ixchel's jet black hair and pulling it behind her ears. "We'll see, Ixchel," he replied, beaming at his 9 year old daughter.

Pouting, his eldest child looked down to the floor. "That always means no…" she muttered beneath her breath, causing all of the adults in the hut to laugh again.

Cizin rolled his eyes as his sister resumed her position on the floor next to him. "I _still _don't get it!" the 6 year old whined, gaining yet another shrug directed at him from Ixchel.

They then talked for what seemed like hours on end; first it was Tumen's story, of how he returned to the Yucatán and eventually became chief of their village. How he met the beautiful Xoc and they soon married, Xoc baring two wonderful children before she past away before Cizin could reach his second birthday.

Tumen sniffled a little as he told the rest of his story, causing Arabella's heart to melt and a few tears roll down her cheeks. In fact they kept on rolling down her face through Jean's own tale, especially when he announced the death of his first born child, Michel Jean Magliore and his partner, Avril's distraught over their beautiful baby boy's death.

Tears pricked in Jean's own eyes as well as everyone's in the room. Even Jack seemed to be showing some emotion as story time was over. He glanced around at everyone around him; Arabella had puffy red eyes and was being mildly comforted by Ixchel and Cizin whilst Jean and his Mayan friend sat mourning the deaths of their loved ones and Gibbs seemed to have a tear pricking in his eye.

There was an awkward silence.

Arabella snuck Jack a glance as if to ask him to speak up first as she dried her eyes on her dirty linen shirt.

But Tumen seemed to get there before him;

"Well, enough of this mopping around!" he declared, his cheerful nature bouncing back into his voice. "Jack, why don't you tell us why you're here?"

Jack started a chorus of 'um' and 'ahs', trying to decide how to put it before Arabella decided to explain for him;

"Ye see, Jack decided if he's going to find the Fountain of Youth, he needs to change his luck…" she began, although Jean couldn't resist interrupting her;

"Ah, so that's karma, eh?" he queried in his French accent, gaining a nod from Jack who took over from Bella, happily.

"Aye, if you do bad things then bad things will happen!" the pirate captain smirked, raising his rum bottle high in the air befor taking a long swig from it.

Tumen snickered a little to his own personal enjoyment, initiating everyone to glance at him. Our Mayan friend grinned, popping his finger in and out of his rum bottle opening. "I never thought _you_ of all people would be saying that, Jack!"

Turning the corners of his mouth into a smile, Jack leant back on his chair and pointed a finger at Tumen. "Life's unpredictable, mate," he explained, "who'd ever of thought you'd 'ave two kids, eh?"

This seemed to be a cue for young Cizin to pipe into the conversation, jumping to his feet and bouncing on his toes. "But _I'm _not a kid, Pa!" he protested. "I'm a pirate, just like you, _Captain_ Jack!"

Jack grinned down at the little boy (as the word 'Captain' was highly overstated), a grin which Cizin and his big sister both recognised as rather friendly for a fierce pirate. This said pirate turned his gaze to meet Arabella's distracted eyes and cleared his throat before saying to her;

"Ye see, Belle, not everyone forgets the authority in the name!"

Cizin heaved a large sigh again when the adults chuckled at Jack's last comment as he slumped back down to the ground next to Ixchel, hugging his knees.

"Let me guess, you still don't get it?" she asked her younger brother, who shook his messy dark brown hair along with his head.

"I hate adults," he confirmed, beginning to sulk with his chin resting in the palms of his grubby hands.

After calming down from their pathetic laughing fit, the adults listened to Jack as he described every detail about his list – and even named a few items on it too!

"…so, _that _Tumen, me good mate, is why I'm here!" the pirate captain finished, triumphantly folding his arms across his chest, smiling.

Jean and Tumen both exchanged glances before Jean looked back to his first captain, his green eyes furrowed underneath his brow in confusion. "To… teach us about… karma?" he questioned, gaining a simple eye-roll from Jack.

"No, mate," he said, shaking his head as if it was the most simplest thing in the world. "I'm here because good ol' Tumen here is _on_ the list!"

All eyes fell on the Mayan chief, followed by a strange and unwanted silence.

"Well done, Pa!" young Cizin suddenly yelled out, clapping his small hands together, clearly not understanding the concept of Jack's list.

"Thank you, son," Tumen said, directing a nod at his boy, as Jack resisted the urge to roll his eyes again. He was soon faced with the Mayan's questioning face, which hadn't changed very much since Tumen had been a thirteen year old boy… sans for the fact he now had quite a fair share of facial hair.

"Why am _I _on it?" he inquired, sounding surprised at this which caused Jack to reach into his inner pocket and pull out his list, laying it down in front of his foreign pal, pointing at number 78.

"See?" spoke the pirate captain as Tumen scanned over the words he had written.

Looking up, the Mayan sighed. "Jack, I don't blame you for killing me… besides, it wasn't even your fault, anyway. You can cross me off, or whatever you need to do!" he ensured, pushing the parchment back to his old friend.

"Pa, how did you die?" suddenly inquired Ixchel, as she and her brother quickly took interest in the adult's talk.

Opening his mouth, Tumen attempted to answer, but Jack was clearly not going to let that happen;

"You may not blame me, mate, but I need to make up for it!" he interrupted with his trademark grin. "So, I'll do anything you want me to… savvy?"

Evidently, Tumen's eyes lit up. "Anything?" he said, in a whisper more than anything.

"Aye, anything!" beamed Captain Sparrow, taking a quick swig from his rum bottle before looking back to Jean and Tumen, his two chocolate brown eyes sparkling.

"Hm…" pondered Tumen, stroking at his stubbly chin. "Let me see…"

* * *

**Author's Note****: Hallelujah! It's **_**finally **_**complete! Huzzah! Now, my fingers hurt… oh well, it was worth it! XD**

**So, how do you like the **_**longest**_** chapter yet? I got a bit carried away with reunion scenes… ye may have realized that… Again, I apologize for the lack of Sparrabella moments! But I PROMISE I'll put some in the next chapter… if I get over 20 reviews… yeah… I'm pretty obsessed!**

**Now, band practise! I now bid ye 'goodbye', my dear readers! **


	6. Righting Your Wrongs

**Author's Note****: What the hell?? I posted my newest story a day or so ago and I went to check my reviews this morning and it was **_**gone**_**! So… I'm kinda pissed about that! Anyways, on a lighter note, here is the next instalment of **_**My Name is Jack!**_

* * *

**Chapter 6  
****--  
**_Righting Your Wrongs_

* * *

Tumen pondered on this for a few minutes at least, though to the pirates and young children it seemed like hours.

Arabella now had her hands resting on the wooden table, with her head over them while Jean, Jack and Gibbs were just exchanging glances with one another every minute or so. As for the two kids… well, they had just about had enough!

"Why don't you let Jack take us on a pirate adventure?!" gleamed Ixchel, her younger brother nodding, hopefully.

Tumen laughed a little at this, ruffling his daughter's jet black hair. "Sorry, Ixchel, you and your brother are a bit too young to be out at sea…" The Mayan turned his head to meet his eyes with Jack's. "_Especially_ with Jack," he smirked, gaining him a glare in response from the captain.

"Ah, _oui_, probably true!" added Jean, grinning. "Don't you remember all those crazy adventures you got us wrapped up in, _mon Capitaine_?!"

Captain Sparrow rolled his eyes. "You knew what you were letting yourselves in for, mates!" he objected, taking a large sip from his rum bottle.

"Hardly!" Arabella giggled, one hand cupped over her mouth to stop the laughter escaping. "They just needed to get of that island, Jack!"

The pirate glanced at a sniggering Belle and sighed; "You know, sometimes I'm not sure if you're on my side or not, luv!" he revealed to her, although Tumen interrupted before she could find something to comeback with.

"Alright, so how are you going to make this up to me?" he inquired, everyone now turning their expressions from silly to serious.

Jack glanced over the table to Arabella, asking with his chocolate brown eyes for an answer from her. All he got was a shrug in response, although this was followed by a few pretty pointless words;

"Why don't you take Tumen somewhere?" she suggested, combing one hand through her bedraggled auburn locks. "Somewhere… I dunno, _nice_?"

Unfortunately for Bella, no-one seemed to think this was one of her_ greatest_ ideas yet!

"Uh, Captain?" suddenly came Gibbs's questioning voice from behind Jack, initiating his eyes to meet those of his first mates. "You could give him yer compass!" the older sailor suggested, hopefully.

Jack's eyebrows knitted together, as he instinctively reached for his compass, holding it to his chest protectively as if it were his own child. "No!" he simply stated, gaining an eye-roll from his older first mate as well as Arabella, who was also catching on to the idea.

"But Jack, once it points to Tumen's hearts desire, ye can get on with makin' up for killin' him, an' we can get this list thing over with!" she grinned, pearly brown eyes shimmering. Seeing as Arabella had only heard legends on this compass, I suppose she just wanted to see how it actually worked.

It took a few seconds or so, but soon shrugging the pirate flung his compass across the table at compass, which the Mayan caught with hardly any trouble at all.

"Um… thank-you…" Tumen started, playing with the black shape in his hands. "But I doubt I need a compass! I don't even go anywhere but around the village! I have Ixchel and Cizin to look after, you know!"

Jack raised a singular eyebrow at the stupidity of this question. "But… mate, this compass doesn't point north!" he pointed out slowly, biting his lip at the fact this was probably one of the most well known stories. And his dear old friend hadn't even heard of it!

"Oh… well then I definitely don't need it then!" Tumen responded, placing Jack's compass firmly on the table, with the tiniest smile.

"But, Pa, it points to whatever you want the most!" Cizin exclaimed, suddenly leaping to his feet, followed by his sister.

"It's true!" Ixchel agreed, her facial expression full of childish excitement as she turned to face Jack on the other end of the table. "Tell him, Captain Jack!" she urged the pirate, her dark eyes shining with exhilaration.

Smirking a little to himself, Jack nodded, leaning casually back in his seat and beginning to examine his filthy nails. "Aye, mate!" he responded, meeting Tumen's gaze, the corners of his mouth turning up into a small smile.

"And it's even true!" Tumen's son cried, snatching the compass from his father's hand and flicking it open, watching the blood red needle spin, wildly. "Look! I'm gonna find what I want!"

The little boy began to head for the doorway of the closed tent they were sat in, although Tumen quickly grabbed him before he could get there and firmly removed the compass from his little grip.

"Cizin, I think I understand it now, thanks," he assured his child, sweetly.

Shrugging, Cizin seated himself back onto the blanket where his sister joined him, twisting a strand of her dark hair around her finger as she did so.

"So, all you have to do…" Jack began to conclude, shaking off all of this nonsense, before Jean interrupted, finally grasping his former captain's plan;

"… is let the compass lead you! Ah, _oui_! It all makes sense now, _mon ami_!" he grinned, taking a long swig from the rum bottle in his hand.

Eyeing all of the gazing faces, which were directed at him as he flicked open the lid of Jack's compass, Tumen took a deep breath when the needle eventually came to a stop…

--

"So… this is what ye want most, eh?" Jack inquired of Tumen, trying to avoid using sarcasm as the eight of them – including Constance – gathered around a large memorial, fresh flowers spurting out of the grassy ground.

"My wife…" nodded Tumen, tears pricking in his eyes as he hung his head low over Xoc's memorial.

Jean comfortingly clapped a hand over his friend's shoulder and wrapped his remaining arm around Arabella as she stifled her own tears, so quiet she was almost silent. Gibbs simply bowed his head in respect whilst Jack twitched, a pang of sadness shooting through him.

Ixchel whimpered, burying her black-haired head into the pirates' cloak, causing Jack to shift a little uncomfortably.

"I'm so sorry, Tumen…" whispered Belle, gulping in attempt to hold back her emotions. "She must've meant the world to ye…"

"She did," he replied, sadly, saying nothing more afterwards.

Sighing a little after a rather short-lived silence, Jean turned to Tumen and smiled, lightly. "It's a shame we never really got to throw her a funeral, eh, _mon chef?_"

"Yes," Tumen responded, simply. "She really deserves one… I just couldn't watch her be lowered into the ground, you understand?"

At these words, Jack lifted his head, his chocolate brown eyes suddenly lighting up. It was all clear to him now… he knew what to do!

"So, where is yer lass, if she's not buried?" Gibbs asked the Mayan chief, a strange softness to his voice.

"She's in a coffin in Pa's bedroom," Ixchel answered for her father. "He doesn't want her to be buried, 'cause if she's in our house, we can be with her all the time."

Arabella and Gibbs both resisted the urge to raise their eyebrows at this. Although it was a little sweet, it was also quite strange. Besides, I don't think either of them could feel comfortable in their own homes if a coffin was in the master bedroom. _And_ the coffin was occupied.

"But, wouldn't she be happier if she was buried?" Bella inquired, although she still said these words comfortingly. "She could finally be at rest…"

Tumen shifted a little, looking Jean in his bright green eyes. "Maybe she might--"

"I've got it!" Jack exclaimed in sudden interruption, clearly having worked out a whole plan whilst his friends were discussing this matter. "Tumen, we can throw yer wife a funeral! Invite loads o' people, Belle can make food!"

All eyes of every colour suddenly fell upon the pirate, causing him to shift a little uncomfortably. He winced, preparing himself slowly for the yells of protest. But instead, Tumen smiled, kindly at this suggestion.

"That is possibly your _best_ idea _yet_, Jack!" he agreed, happiness washing over his features again.

"Ye could bury her outside yer hut," Arabella suggested. "That way ye could visit her every day!"

Grinning in agreement, Ixchel began to leap up and down on her toes. "That way Tumen wouldn't be scared of Pa's bedroom!" she cried, clapping her two hands together. "Oh, can we, Pa? It would be such a beautiful ceremony! And I'm sure mother would like it, she really would!"

"We can invite the entire village!" Jean added to the conversation. "Constance and I will go and pick some flowers, won't we, _ma soeur_?"

"Meow," purred Constance in reply.

"And I can play the guitar!" Jack finished, pointing up his finger up to the midday sun and grinning at the dazzled expressions on his friends' faces.

"Cap'n, you play the guitar?" Gibbs questioned, raising one of his bushy grey eyebrows.

"Family trait is all, mate!" Jack briefly explained, waving his hand though the air as if he was trying to swat a rather annoying fly next to his ear. As his friends eyed him curiously, Captain Sparrow shrugged, clapping his two hands together

"Right, so… where do we start, eh?"

--

"Jack? Captain? _Jaaaack_!"

Gently grumbling to himself, the pirate winced as he sat up from the small camp bed in the tent Tumen had provided for him, Arabella and Gibbs to share. But by the look of things, Bella and his faithful first mate had clearly left a long time ago.

Now, Jack was faced with Ixchel's large grey eyes shimmering over him, her little brother only standing inches or so behind.

"Don't be so _lazy_, Jack!" she giggled a little. "Arabella and Joshaemee have already been up hours! They've been helping Pa and Jean organize Ma's funeral day! There's not much left to do, now, but we thought we should wake you anyway!"

Jack resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Today? Doesn't yer dad want to prepare a bit more, luv?" he inquired groggily, rubbing at his chocolate brown orbs.

"He's been preparing _all_ night!" Cizin piped in, smiling to himself. "We was helping, wasn't we, Ix?"

Ixchel giggled her girlish little laugh again. "Yes, we've only had about four hours sleep between us!"

"And yet you seem surprisingly upbeat…" muttered Jack, reaching across the rugged floor of the tent for his dirty linen shirt.

Cizin grabbed the captain's tricorn hat and threw it like a frisbee at the half-dressed pirate, excitedly. "Come _on_, Jack!" he urged, eagerly, which caused Jack to raise his two eyebrows high into his forehead as the two kids bounded back out into the morning air.

For two children who were about to bury their mother, they were strangely optimistic.

"_That's what ye get being related to Tumen," _figured Jack, mentally as he flung his cloak over his shoulders and approached the exit of the tent. _"All bloody lunatics!"_

He reached for the flapping material of the gazebo, ready to pull it back before Arabella burst in, falling into his chest, an acoustic guitar in her hand.

"Oh…" she grinned, sheepishly, blushing a little. "Sorry, Jack. Tumen said you were still asleep."

The captain smirked in return. "Shame, Belle, because if you had walked in a little sooner when I had absolutely no clothes on at all, then this position would seem a _lot _more interesting, savvy?"

Arabella wrinkled her nose in disgust at him, stepping away from her old friend toward the opposite end of the tent, forcing back a smirk of her own. "Ye just never stop, do ye?"

Jack raised his dark eyebrows, leaning back on the material wall of their shelter, grinning flirtatiously, examining every aspect of dirt ingrained in his nails. "Does it look like I ever plan on stopping any time soon, luv?" he asked, shooting her a quick smile.

"No, not really," replied Arabella, truthfully. "Anyway, Tumen told me to give you this."

She extended her arm, clothed in the long sleeves of a dress, made to look strangely elegant although its colour was a dark colour, almost black.

Jack gazed at her. In her grasp was the neck of a guitar. The instrument, Jack could see, was in great condition, with yellowish coloured wood and various patterns the same shade of red as Arabella's recently styled hair.

Taking it, the pirate looked at her with confusion written all over his features.

"Luv, I'm not going to play guitar at this thing," he clarified, firmly.

"Yes, ye are," Belle replied, merely. "I thought _ye _were the one planning this funeral to make it up to Tumen. And so far, the only thing you've done is suggested the idea!"

"But--"

"No, Jack. If ye want good karma, then ye've got to do _something_!"

"Luv, I--"

"No, no buts!" Arabella insisted with a firm grin. "Tumen wants ye to play Xoc's favourite melody. He said it'd be easy for ye to learn."

"Belle--"

"See you at the funeral, Jack," she interrupted one last time, holding up one finger before exiting out into the village.

Looking down at the blasted instrument, Jack heaved one last sigh;

"Bloody karma," he muttered.

* * *

**Author's Note****: YAY! Tad bit of Sparrabella there! Apologies, it's not that much!**

**Oh and btw, I'm not entirely sure the 'Xoc's funeral' thing is really that good of an idea… I was stuck on it, and didn't know what I could do to make it all fit in with the plan… :P**

**And don't worry… there will DEFINITELY be BIG Sparrabella moments in the next chapter… -**_**coughcough**_**therewillbeaball**_**coughcough- **_**Oops… Have I given something away? ;)**


	7. A Ball Interrupted

**Author's Note****: Hey guys! I'm BACK! Lol! The only reason this took so long is because I kept writing Jack extremely OOC so I've re-wrote it about 3 times! And then I decided to give up on those bonus chapters so it took even longer… somehow! But… here it is!**

* * *

**Chapter 7  
****--  
**_A Ball Interrupted_

* * *

It could have possibly been the best days Captain Sparrow had ever seen. Weather wise, of course. Unless you're the very excitable Ixchel or Cizin – who get over excited about the littlest detail, you may have noticed – then funerals are generally not so fun.

The area, Jack noticed, was decorated beautifully; there were tons of colourful flowers spread in every direction, either grouped into arrangements or spread wildly along the ground and fence which cornered off a small garden area for Tumen's hut; huge weaved rugs of every shaded thread spread over the fresh green grass and a large arched-shape grave stone with the beautifully styled letters engraved firmly in, simply reading;

_**Here lies  
**__**XOC  
**_**_Loving wife, mother and friend.  
__May she rest in peace_**

At least Jack _thought _that was what it said. After all, it was written in Tumen's Mayan dialect, so the pirate could only assume.

As the hours of Xoc's funeral passed on by, the gentle breeze nipped at Jack's cheeks as he strummed the elegant notes of Tumen's wife's favourite melody again and again (still, playing the bloody guitar wasn't one of his favourite things to do; he'd just rather not want to get on the wrong side of karma… or Arabella for that matter) as the Mayan chief and his two children spoke out about their love for their lost family member.

Occasionally, Arabella would glance over at the pirate and wink at him or smile encouragingly. If only he didn't have his head and dreadlocks bent over the guitar to see her.

But, although it felt like forever for the captain, Xoc was buried and the guests began to dismiss the area of her funeral. Jack blew on his fingers, after pressing them down forcefully on the steel strings of the guitar left a shooting pain through the tips of them which was almost unbearable.

He then saw his old friends approaching him, Arabella and Jean with their arms comfortingly wrapped around Tumen, whose face was red stained from his tears, Ixchel sniffling with Constance in her arms and Cizin rubbing at his own grey orbs.

With one glance at them, Jack recoiled from the group, twitching his nose at them as he turned to look Bella in the eyes;

"Forgive me if I'm wrong, luv, but isn't this karma thing meant to make them feel… better?" he inquired; only gaining Arabella's warning glance in return for his curiosity.

"No, no, Jack, it _did_ make me feel better," Tumen insisted, wiping his nose on a piece of old cloth which he had, somehow, got hold of.

Jack raised the corner of his eyebrow, inquisitively. "Are ye sure, mate because if that's the case then, prey tell, you _do_ have quite a strange way of showing it…"

Tumen and Jean both stifled little laughs, while Arabella simply rolled her eyes.

"Pa says we're having a ball!" suddenly piped up Ixchel, followed by a meow from Constance.

She smiled, innocently as all eyes fell on her. Cizin excitedly began to clap his hands and leap up and down on his little bare feet, yelling childish cheers of excitement.

And, by the seems of things, it seemed Jack was about to join him in his cries;

"A ball, eh?" the pirate smirked, glancing at Arabella through the corners of his kohl lined eyes before pulling her from the side of Tumen and flinging his arm around her shoulders, beaming broadly.

"I'll be goin' with Belle then!" he decided for them as, again, Arabella rolled her eyes at him, resisting a smirk of her own. "What do ye say, luv?"

"Well, seeing as Fitz isn't here to fight with ye this time, I suppose I have no choice, do I?" she answered, sighing as she gazed up at him.

"Nope!" the pirate replied, cheerfully.

A slight snicker then came from Tumen's direction, although it was merged with tears so the only sound he really made was… a strange and quite creepy sounding one.

"No, Jack, it's become a tradition to have masked balls here! That's how I met Xoc…" he paused here to take a short sigh, coughed back with a few tears, "I couldn't believe how lucky I was to have found her when she removed that mask…"

Silence fell over them again, interrupted twice or so by a meow from Jean's cat-turned sister, purring in Ixchel's arms.

"So…" Arabella started, biting her lip a little, "ye don't have partners?"

"Not unless you meet someone there!" responded Tumen, changing his gloomy mood to that of a cheerful one.

"You 'ave to wear _masks_?" Jack gaped, as if wearing something over his face was possibly the worst thing in the world… besides playing the guitar, of course!

"_Oui_!" Jean replied for his friend this time. "I would say it's quite exciting, wouldn't you, Tumen?"

"Yup!"

"No…" Jack muttered.

Jean giggled along with the two children, as if they hadn't just attended a funeral but a circus event or something;

"Oh, lighten up, _mon ami_, it ought to be fun!" he said, convincingly, flicking his wrist and grinning widely at his two pirate friends.

Arabella nodded, approvingly with that warm smile of hers lighting up her face. "It does sound appealing!" she agreed, dazzled by this. "You might even meet some new _lady _friends, Jack!"

Suddenly, the captain turned away from glaring at Bella like she'd turned to the dark side and gave that oh so charming smirk of his, chocolate brown eyes glistening;

"I'm in!"

--

"Arabella? Arabella, _mon ami_, you surely must be ready by now! It's time to attend the ball!"

"Alright, Jean, one moment!"

Twisting her hair around itself one last time and pinning it firmly up out of her eyes, Arabella inhaled a deep breath before staring into the glass of the mirror Tumen had supplied her with in her tent.

She smiled at the reflection gazing back at her; not to blow her own trumpet, but she _did_ look appealing! The dress of Xoc's Tumen had happily allowed her to wear floated out majestically behind her. Although it was a little small, and Arabella had to take in deep breaths occasionally, she loved dressing up like this. Once in a while, at least!

She patted strands of her auburn locks that had gone astray from her bun behind her ears and snatched her mask – another thing Tumen had leant to her – from the small dressing table he had _also_ suppliedher!

Tumen, you may have realized, was a very generous man.

As Belle pulled away the rough material of her tent, and smiled weakly at Jean and Constance who were greeting her.

"Meow," Constance hissed at her a little which probably meant; _'Dang, why do you have to look so pretty? I haven't been able to wear a stupid dress in years and you go and wear the nicest one there is! I hate you!'_

Unaware what was going on in this little cat's mind, Arabella nodded to her, as a true lady should.

"Hello to you too, Constance," she replied, reaching out to stroke the grey cat kindly on her bony head.

She hissed, bearing all rotting teeth at the woman, her yellow eyes gleaming with evilness. This time, the feline was thinking; _'No way, pretty, you're not touching me! You're just lucky I'm letting us breathe the same air! If you weren't with my Jack, you'd be long dead by now!'_

Jean giggled from behind his own mask, ruffling his hand through Constance's fur. "Ah, don't take it to heart, Arabella! I think if Constance were still human, she'd be having her 'time of the month' by now!" he said to his friend, kindly.

'_I'd still hate her anyway!' _Constance thought, glumly.

"Arabella, I failed to mention how beautiful you look!" he said, gaining a smile from using his flattery. "I'm sure you'll meet a very lucky man at the ball tonight!"

Bella smirked a little at his last comment. "Oh, no Jean, I don't intend on making any man lucky tonight!"

"_Jack," _she immediately thought before continuing;

"I'd much rather dance with Tumen or ye to save embarrassment!"

"_Save myself from Jack more like!" _she thought again. When her pearly brown eyes caught those of Constance, she suddenly wondered if the cat could read her thoughts. This immediately spooked her out, so, thinking of bunnies and happy peacocks, she linked Jean's arm in her own and made her way to the area, where the ball was being held.

But a sudden shiver was sent down her spine when she heard a mutter and rustle in the bushes nearby…

--

"Mr. Gibbs?"

"Cap'n?"

Jack glanced up from the punch bowl, in which he was eying closely, and occasionally dipping his finger into. "If you were a fruit, Master Gibbs, what kind would you be?"

Gibbs's eyebrows knitted together at the randomness of his captain's inquiry.

"Uh… a pineapple, Cap'n?" he decided with added confusion to his words.

"Why?"

"Uh… because they're… tasty?"

Jack shrugged with a simple nod following before he turned his attention back to the full bowl of punch at the oak table.

"Why, what kind of fruit would ye be, Jack?" the old first mate returned, sociably, his long and bushy eyebrows still raised at the stupidity of their pointless conversation.

Jack twitched his upper lip into his nose, looking back up to Gibbs with a hardly noticeable sigh directed at the old sailor. "I was going to say a banana, but you make a good point with the tastiness of the pineapples!" he revealed, with the tiniest smirk Gibbs could hardly see it appearing on his captain's golden face.

"Jack! Joshaemee!"

The pair of pirates turned abruptly at the voice of Tumen, the moonlight seeming to shine on the Mayan chef as he made his way over to them, mask over his eyes. When he came to a halt, his smile suddenly faded;

"Jack, why aren't you wearing a mask?"

The pirate captain turned to Gibbs in a 'save me' kind of way before twisting back around to look the Mayan chef in the eyes with a charming smirk that usually persuaded girls to not nag their hearts out at him.

He then forgot Tumen was no girl.

"Well… no-one gave me one, mate!" he replied, lamely, gaining him nothing but a simple eye roll from his Mayan friend. "Ooh, this reminds me--"

There was a pause as Jack reached into the pockets of his cloak and yanked out his karmic list and his quill, flashing Tumen a smile;

"-- can I cross ye off my list?"

_Whoosh!_

Jack winced in slight pain as a mosaic blue mask with green gems sparkling in between the sapphire colour and trailing down its unusually long, pointed shaped nose hit him mildly in the torso.

"Only when you put the mask on!" the Mayan quipped, just as he did when he was in his teenage years.

Groaning from the centre of his throat, Jack pulled the hideous thing over his eyes, and adjusted the long nose; shooting Gibbs and Tumen both quick glares as they sniggered at him through their half decent veils.

"There!" he said, although couldn't resist smirking a tad at their situation. The pirate then bent over the table which he had placed his list and scribbled over the words; _'practically killed Tumen on Isla Fortuna'_, eventually smiling triumphantly. "Feel better, mate?"

"Much!" giggled Tumen. "Thank-you Jack!"

"A pleasure, my chef!" Jack mocked, bowing sarcastically, ignoring Gibbs as the elderly sailor muttered something about karma beneath his breath. "So... where's the food?"

Jack clapped his hands together and grinned widely when Tumen gestured to the other end of the table his two friends stood at, towards a huge roasted meat on a glittering silver platter. He dug the knife into it and began to saw away at the unfortunate animals' leg. Grasping the huge chunk in his dirty hands, the pirate was about to take a bite, until he eyed Tumen, cringing two steps behind him.

Raising his eyebrow at the meat, Jack looked to his friend, warily. "This isn't dog meat is it?" he inquired, shuddering as he remembered the last time he had eaten in Yucatán.

"No," Tumen replied, truthfully, although still biting his lip in guilt as Jack shrugged, ramming his teeth into the roasted flesh. "It's donkey."

… It soon went flying across the table,

"Ack!" Jack choked, grabbing a glass of nearby water and shoving the liquid down his throat. Though he knew Gibbs and Tumen were sniggering at him as the fresh drink dribbled down his bearded chin, the pirate simply ignored them.

"Sorry Jack," the Mayan apologized, although he didn't sound very apologetic at all. "We didn't realize you had such an… apatite for this stuff!"

Jack scowled, looking past his younger friend to Gibbs, whose face was scoffed with two peaches, and himself looking rather embarrassed. The elder sailor coughed out the fruit and gave his captain an intently-listening gaze.

"I really doubt this karma thing sometimes, Master Gibbs," Jack commented, simply.

"Aye," he agreed, firmly nodding his square-shaped head.

"I don't think I should have given Arabella Xoc's old dress to wear," Tumen stated, rather off the conversation subject which turned both Jack and Gibbs's heads. It was obvious he had spotted her, and this made Jack frantically search.

Gibbs raised an eyebrow, "You don't think it suits her, Master Tumen?" he asked, a little gentlemanly, a very uncharacteristic feature for him.

"Where?" Jack almost whined, craning his head and moving in all directions to see what both his friends saw.

Tumen, however, seemed to ignore him. "No, no, I think she just looks_ too_ beautiful…" he murmured. If Jack didn't know him better, he would have said his Mayan friend was _charmed_ by her beauty.

"_Fortunately, I know him better,"_ the captain thought, imagining himself saying it through gritted teeth, a rather strange picture to have in his mind.

"Tumen! Gibbs!" Bella suddenly called, sounding a tad nervous as she gathered her skirts into her golden hands, and began to race forwards, Jean and Constance both hot on her heals.

It was clearly obvious she didn't recognise Jack in his pathetic excuse for a mask until she got relatively close and had to grab a hand around her mouth to stop the laughter escaping. Jean, however, wasn't so good at controlling it!

"What on_ Earth_ are you wearing, Jack?!" he giggled, practically collapsing to the floor with laughter whilst Tumen and Gibbs began to snigger again.

Jack just rolled his eyes, deciding he should ignore all of the comments and concentrate on karma… well, at least for the time being.

Soon enough though, Arabella's sense of humour seemed to fade out, as if she'd suddenly remembered something very important indeed, "Oh, Tumen, ye could have given him a… _nicer_ piece of face wear after what he's done!" she quoted, still having to stifle back giggles as she swiped the thing from the captain's face and placing it elegantly on a nearby table.

"_Good God, and they call _me _bad-tempered!"_ Constance mused to herself, leaping anything but gracefully up onto the very same counter and beginning to gnaw at Jack's discarded donkey meat, slight purring through her hairy mouth.

Before the others could say another word, Belle gripped onto Jack's shirt and led him away, obviously meaning him to tell her something. "Excuse us a moment!" she said to their audience, stopping as they reached practically the other end of the ball area.

"Jack, I have a bad feeling about this!"

He raised an eyebrow. "About what, luv?"

"_This_!" Arabella spluttered, a touch of un-explained anger in her voice as she gripped Jack by both arms and lightly began to shake him, seeming to think she was referring to the most observable thing in the world. "Being here! I heard something in the bushes on the way down here! I swear the bloody thing was walkin', Jack!"

Captain Sparrow gazed at her for a moment. He doubted her seriousness, although she was biting her lip which she had the tendency to do when nervous.

"Honestly!" she insisted, knowing just by looking into Jack's chocolate brown eyes that he was going to smirk at her and say something witty against her claim, "It could be the Navy or something! Ye even said it yerself they've all been after ye since Beckett's death!"

Again, Jack raised an eyebrow. It, at this moment in time, was incredibly hard for the pirate to say something incredibly sarcastic to his female companion, so he simply answered her with;

"So, what shall _I_ do about it, luv?"

"Cross something off that bloody piece of paper!" Arabella cried, flicking her wrist at him as if the answer, again, was as clear as day.

The captain's eyebrow's knitted together. "Belle me lass, firstly' (he held up his index finger to emphasise) 'the list is not so much a 'bloody piece of paper' but a roadway to immortality, savvy? And secondly' (another finger shot up) 'I 'aven't got anythin' left here to do in Yucatán. So, I say we just forget about the whole Navy thing, eh? What's say you?"

Belle looked blank.

Jack twitched, leaning forwards to wave a hand in front of her shimmering brown eyes, "Belle?"

"Dance with me!" she suddenly breathed.

Yet again, Jack raised an eyebrow through his frown of utter confusion. "Come again?"

"Jack, I'm on yer list!" Arabella explained, almost throwing up her arms in exaggeration, bubbling with a strange sort of nervous excitement, "Ye can cross me off if I forgive ye and I will if ye dance with me!"

Yes, it's not just you… this does sound awfully strange… But, knowing Jack, he was _not _going to turn down the chance to get close to a pretty girl without it ending in a slap.

"Forgive me, luv, but I _still_ don't understand why we're doing this!" the rogue pirate stated as the next song began to play and Arabella was gathered in his arms, the two of them swaying back and forth in time with the elegant melody.

She seemed to let out a frustrated sigh, "Jack, please try to understand it! I only say things so crazy like that when they seem true! I… I get scared!"

Jack rolled his eyes, this time not being able to keep back his sarcastic comments. "You want me to kiss it better, luv?" he smirked, slightly wincing, preparing himself for her fiery response.

But there wasn't one.

Arabella just looked away, her vaguely pale face beginning to blush light pink. Either she was angry, or seriously considering this.

Again, Jack could only bring himself to say one thing, "Belle?"

"What?" she jumped, her lighter eyes reaching his dark ones once more, "Oh, no…" These last words were said with an odd emotion Captain Sparrow couldn't quite grasp.

It all happened fast after that.

Bella felt herself leaning in towards her captain's face, not at all eyeing his curious eyebrow raise she would usually try and analyze for no reason whatsoever. And Jack, well, Jack just could never seem to resist this sort of thing… not even with Arabella. Arabella, his supposedly best friend…

Oh yes, their lips were definitely very close… closer… closer…

"PAPA!"

All ball attendants turned their heads towards the terrified young girl and her little brother panting behind her.

"Oh, bugger," Jack muttered, barely loud enough for even himself to hear.

"Ixchel? Cizin?" Tumen questioned, racing to the children followed closely by Jean, Constance wrapped tight in his arms. "What is it? Didn't I tell you to wait in the hut with your Aunt K'ay?"

"They've took her!" wailed Ixchel, crashing her fists against her teary grey eyes. "The… the…"

"The East India Trading Company!" a sudden voice bellowed, from the opposite side of the area. As all the faces which turned towards it could see, they were now a group of men surrounding the ball area.

Men growled, reaching for their weapons as women screamed and grabbed their crying children. Tumen hurled a screaming Cizin into his arms and gripped onto his daughter's miniature hand protectively.

"We're looking for a Mr. Jack Sparrow!" a blond man in possession of a rather large harpoon gun yelled out. All heads turned yet again, this time all gazes directed at Jack.

"Actually…" the pirate rolled his eyes as he stepped forwards from Arabella, working his usually sway as he held up an index finger, "It's _Captain _Jack Sparr- OW!"

"Jack!" Bella suddenly yelped, clasping her hands over her mouth as she spied the dart which was, unfortunately, sticking out from his neck.

"Uh…" Jack muttered, his eyes crossing over and the world turning blurry as he dizzily began to saunter in a 'straight' line. He could hardly feel it as he collapsed to his knees and Jean leapt in front of him, viciously shaking him back and forth.

"Jack! _Jack_! Speak to me, _mon ami_!" came his French brogue, however to the dazed pirate, it only seemed like a mix of odd words.

Nonetheless, the captain managed to stutter out his last words before he collapsed to the ground with a ridiculously loud _THUD_;

"N-not good…"

And then from a sight of purple spirals and flashing orange stars came a dark, black screen…

* * *

**Author's Note****: WOOT! Earl's comin' back on TV! It's not fair! I'm pretty sure they've already shown Series 4 in America… damn Britain! Oh well!**

**So… um… I'm actually starting to think about not getting Jack and Belle too 'serious'… if it took 3 revisions for me to write a bloomin' ball scene between them, who knows how long it'll take me to write a proper romance scene!**

**Nah… they probably will get together! Anyways, I'm not so pleased with this chapter as the others! But it's okay! Now I've FINALLY finished it, I can get on with it! Expect quicker updates, mates!**


	8. The Return of Fitzy

**Author's Note:**** Alrighty, I know it's taken a pretty long time to update but I'll let you read the chapter before I swarm you with my rambling!**

**WARNING: Slight Jack and Arabella arguing-ness… deepest apologises!**

* * *

**Chapter 8  
****--  
**_The Return of Fitzy_

* * *

Don't you just hate that feeling you get when you wake up with the taste of blood lingering in your in a place that can only be recognised as… well, a place that _can't_ be recognised?

Well, I suppose that's exactly how Jack felt…

Sans for the fact he _did _know where the place he was sprawled out on the floor was… A prison cell. Probably one saved for a person of much hatred to the captor, seeing as there was no straw lined on the cold, hard floor and a family of scraggly rats in the corner.

"C-Constance?" Jack stupidly asked the creatures as he sat up, one hand held to his head.

None of the rats replied.

Captain Jack looked around himself; yep, he definitely had the worst cell! There were traces of moss growing rapidly across the wet stone floor and walls and not even a bench to perch upon. However, there was a bowl of bread – stale, but bread all the same – and a clay mug of some sort of liquid shoved into the corner.

Unsure of what to do, Jack made straight for the food.

He was about to take a bite from the crust of moulding bread, when he heard a slight murmur coming from at least two cells down from his. After this was followed by a crumple of straw, Jack decided to take a glance to his left, only to see a blurred figure perching themselves on their bench, with a smear of red upon their head.

"Belle?" Jack called, hopefully, through the bars of his neighbouring cell to reach down to the figure.

Immediately, their ears seemed to shoot up, their body suddenly straightening with alert;

"Jack?" the voice called back; a feminine voice. Yes, he could only be sure it was her. "Where are we?" Arabella continued.

The captain sighed, slumping back down onto the hard floor, examining his filthy yellow nails. "Beats me, luv," he replied, casually.

He heard Arabella heave a huge sigh, and although she was only a blurry figure a few cells down, Jack knew she was biting her lip.

"I know it's the East India Trading Company that've got us!" she clarified, twisting a strand of her fallen auburn locks around her finger.

Jack scoffed. "They wouldn't come near us after we pirates took care of that eunuch of their leader!" he denied, clearly not able to remember the night at the Yucatán.

"Yes, they would, Jack!" Arabella fought back, firmly, "Of _course_ they would! They'd want to get revenge on ye! Not be _scared_ of ye! And, let's face it after all, ye're not the most _scariest_ pirate on the Seven Seas anyway! And ye know we're here all because of _YE_!"

She was shouting now, but it didn't seem to stop Jack arguing back;

"Me?" he demanded. "Evidently, Belle, seeing as _I _have been the only one doing good things, it would be _your_ fault we're stuck 'ere, savvy? Karma is just _rewarding_ me, luv! I _love_ it in jail!"

With his last words, Jack flung himself backwards, landing on the bare floor with a _thud_ ignoring the shooting pains up his spine.

Arabella sighed, irritably. "Idiot!" she muttered, obviously giving up on the argument.

Neither of them had a chance to say anything else, seeing as seconds after Arabella turned her back on her companion, there were orderly footsteps trotting down the staircase leading up from their jail and the squeaky hinges of the door grinding painfully in the two pirates' ears.

Belle glanced up only to be confronted with two ginger haired soldiers and a rather chubby old-looking one passing her by, making their way smartly past the empty jail cells between the two prisoners and pausing simultaneously at Jack's.

The pirate glanced up through his dreadlocks, which had fallen down over his golden face and sucked through his few golden teeth, smirking broadly, half at them and half at a staring Arabella.

Keys rattled in the fat ones' chubby hands and were shoved carelessly into the lock of Jack's cell and let the door swing open.

"Come!" he commanded, gruffly as Jack rose to his feet, casually.

Turning to Belle, he smirked, his golden teeth even still seeming to glisten in the dull light of the prison. "Karma," he mouthed to her, only gaining an eye roll as an answer.

He let himself out, sauntering past the soldiers as if they were an unimportant piece of dust lying around on the floor. The two of them quickly hurried to match his stride, their harpoon guns aimed lightly at him.

"I knew you'd come over to my side event--" Jack began as he made his way up the stairs, closely followed by the two ginger men. Of course, he immediately paused when he saw the audience waiting for them above the underground chambers.

"Oh, bugger," he sighed as the fat man pushed past him and disappeared into the crowd of fierce looking soldiers. He rolled his eyes when he suddenly felt the sharpness of the harpoon guns against his back.

"You know, mate, I'm surprised you Navy eunuchs are pressing those bloody things against my back since your positively_ outstanding_ army have got me trapped," Jack quipped, sarcastically to the taller and spottier of the soldiers.

He just grunted at him in return, something you wouldn't expect from a man who seemed to have the face of a 16 year old boy.

Suddenly, false laughter turned Jack's head to the attention of a finely dressed, all in blue and golden robes, cleanly shaved blond man, he could recognise without a doubt…

"Ah, Jack!" he smiled, smugly, "Your unfortunate capture hasn't changed your _wit_, I see!"

Jack cringed to himself, disguising it with a casually mischievous grin as he stepped forwards, pressing his two wrists together.

"Clap 'em in irons, eh, Fitzy?"

Fitzwilliam P. Dalton the III, now, as it seemed a Lord or at least an Admiral of the Fleet, shook his head, smiling deviously at our favourite pirate;

"Oh no, Jack," he started, "I have much bigger plans for you…"

--

I suppose you may have guessed by now that Lord Fitzwilliam P. Dalton the III will be the upcoming 'bad guy' of our little tale. And I suppose if you didn't know, then you should have read more carefully.

Not unless witty Jack can change that now… although I highly doubt that…

"So, Jack, I'm sure you can now see _one_ of us has made something of his life!" Fitzwilliam announced, proudly, gripping his hands together behind his back as Jack was pushed forcefully into a rather large and grand room decorated with royal looking curtains, rugs, animal heads, towering bookcases and an assortment of little tables.

As his old… _friend_ made his way to his desk, sitting down neatly upon a huge red velvet chair and clasping his hands together formally, Jack decided to take the opportunity to look around, making his way to what seemed to be a dressing table and fiddling with various objects resting upon it.

"Aye, mate, I do," he snickered, glancing up at the hugely high ceiling, "So what have _you_ been doing since our last encounter, eh?"

Fitzwilliam glared, childishly, though it passed by rather quickly when the Lord rose from his seat and pushed open humongous glass doors to a balcony, looking out over a sandy beach and the rippling waves of the ocean.

"I, my dear _captain_, became a _Lord_," he sneered, haughtily.

"And so did _I_, your _graciousness_!" Jack responded, mocking Fitz's accent along with a ridiculously exaggerated bow while he joined the aristocrat on his terrace.

Fitzwilliam turned to him with furrowed eyebrows. "I don't believe 'Pirate Lord of the Caribbean' is quite the same as a Lord of Noblemen, Jack!" he scoffed, arrogantly, raising his pointed chin into the air with pride.

"'Course not!" Jack chirped, happily, turning to saunter back inside. He grabbed onto a nearby parasol and fan, popping them up and using them to imitate a lady of high class, "I believe it is even better, my fellow," he continued in Fitzwilliam's posh accent.

Fitz narrowed his eyes. "What do you say we discuss a more serious matter, Jack?" he spat, impatience lingering in his voice.

"I say all of my votes go to the contrary, mate!" Jack cheekily beamed, poking his head around from the lace fan, before flinging them both carelessly aside onto a pathetically expensive looking table.

"Do you mind, Sparrow? Those are in possession of a friend of mine!" Fitzwilliam spat, striding over almost instantly to put them straight.

Jack opened his mouth to argue with a witty response perching just on the tip of his tongue, but Fitzy seemed to get in there first;

"And I believe you have something rightly in possession of _mine_!"

"Possession of _me_," Jack randomly corrected his old… er… _friend_ with that absurdly charming smile of his.

Fitzwilliam's face scrunched up into that of an ogre's, though instead of turning bright green, he turned tomato red. If he were a cartoon, and Jack knew what a cartoon was, the pirate could have sworn smoke would be teeming out of the Lord's ears.

"Give. Me. The map," Fitz spat through his gritted pearly white teeth.

"Map?" Jack repeated. Wow, that was definitely a change! All this aristos usually wanted something more along the lines of his compass… or his life…

"Yes, the map to the legendary Agua de Vida, the elixir of life, the pathway to immortality…" revealed Lord Fitz, in a slight hiss.

"Ah…" Jack realized, holding a finger to his bearded chin.

Fitzwilliam's greedy eyes lit up with anticipation. "So, you know it?" he asked, rhetorically, hoping instead of a wisecrack of a response, Jack would just hand the map straight forwards into his greasy little paws.

Oh, Fitzy, how you have forgotten Jack's ways.

"You know, you could of just said 'the Fountain of Youth'," Jack riposted, grinning, "I know what it is, mate!"

In irritation, Fitz sighed, deeply. "You can clearly see I'm not in the mood, Jack," he said, emotionlessly.

"All the more reason for me to infuriate you, Fitzy!" the pirate answered, simply, slouching into a nearby majestic chair, crossing his legs over one another atop of the desk, clearly knowing what would make Fitzwilliam snap.

However the nobleman stayed oddly calm, taking his own seat opposite his old captain, breathing in deeply as he caught a sight of Jack's filthy boots smearing across his perfectly polished desk… no, he couldn't think about all that… dreadful _filth _on his beloved table.

"So…" Fitz began, turning away from the _terrible _sight of the muddy boots, "Are you going to just _give_ me the map, or will I have to pry it from you?"

Two things caused Jack to briefly roll his eyes.

"Fitzy…" he started, slowly, "What even makes you so confidently sure I have said map? Because the last time I checked, Barbossa was makin' off with my ship, so rightly saying, my charts should still be aboard her, savvy?"

"Are you saying you'll lead us to the Fountain of Youth if we get you your ship back from a bloodthirsty pirate such as Captain Hector Barbossa?" Fitzwilliam jumped to conclusions.

Jack seemed to take offence at this. "After all with been through, mate… are you sayin' I'm not as bloodthirsty as Barbossa?"

"Yes, Jack, that is precisely what I'm saying!" Fitz replied, quite honestly.

"Well, I think you should consider re-considering," grinned the rogue pirate before the lord, rotating on his heals away from him and slowly reaching into the inner pocket of his cloak, beaming from ear-to-ear.

"What's that?" questioned Fitzwilliam, curiously rising from his seat and striding rapidly over to Jack's side.

Jack just twisted on his toes, oafishly, avoiding Fitz's piercing eyes and bony hands attempting to grab at the paper in his hard grasp with a smirk plastered on his face.

"Jack… give it… JACK!" Fitzwilliam screeched like the bratty little boy he used to be, his blond hair frizzing with anger.

"Captain, its _Captain _Jack!"

The Pirate Lord sniggered when his rival released him and stomped his foot against the floorboards, childishly. Smiling again, Jack held up the parchment in his hand only to reveal… his… list…

Fitzwilliam's fair eyebrows knitted together, "Now _why _would I be so interested in a little piece of scrawny paper?" he sneered, hoping his crappy little comeback would offend Jack deeply.

Unfortunately, it only opened more opportunities for Jack's next retort.

"This…" Sparrow began, striding forwards and waving the decaying paper in Fitz's face, "Is _my_ list! Of all the bad things I've ever done!"

He collapsed down into one of Fitzwilliam's huge chairs and began to examine down his scruffy writing, smiling proudly.

"And _why _would that be any use to me?" said Fitz, rather selfishly, folding his blue coated arms across his chest.

"Because," Jack began, leaning forwards as if he were revealing a huge secret to his aristocratic companion, "If you do good things… then good things will happen… like for instance finding some sort of mystical treasure map of some kind, maybe?"

He glanced up from his dirt encrusted nails to seek the expression on Fitzwilliam's face; an eyebrow was raised in curiosity. Jack assumed this was good.

"What is this then?" Fitzwilliam inquired, calmly, "Some kind of curse?"

"Karma," responded Jack, solemnly, "Two way treat, mate! Do good deeds for good things and bad deeds for bad things, savvy?"

Though suddenly, Fitz's face fell. "You're making this up, Sparrow!" he sounded convinced, his voice grave and livid.

Jack twitched back, stifling back a sigh, "Fitzy, mate… why would I lie to you, eh?"

"For the precise reason that you always have done, and would only tell a man something of importance for your own benefit," answered he, smartly. "Now, are you going to give me the map to the Youth, or will I have to fight you for it, my friend?"

Again, Jack sighed, irritably, "I don't think you quite get this concept do you, Fitzy?" he requested, minimally.

"I understand that you want something from me, Jack, so why don't you just spit it out and we can get on with you handing me over the map!"

"Believe me, mate, you'll get much closer to the Fountain by letting Belle and I go an--"

"I knew it!" spat Fitzwilliam, coldly.

The pirate opposite raised a singular eyebrow, smile fading. "Come again?"

"I knew you only wanted to trick me into your freedom, Jack! Do you think I would have forgotten the tricks of the trade of one Captain Jack Sparrow?" he explained, in a slight hiss.

Jack opened his mouth to respond but he couldn't help but turn the corners of his mouth into a smirk again; "At least you didn't forget the Captain!"

Fitzwilliam's eyes narrowed, changing form to become as thin as his pale lips. "You despicable cad!" he cursed, rising to his feet, slowly, yet dramatically, "You really haven't changed one bit. You have no honour in your blood! Marco! Marco!"

Jack wasn't sure what to say, but by the screeching tone of Fitzwilliam's voice, he decided it was best to run. Shoving his list quickly into the inner pocket of his cloak, Jack took off, sprinting to the doorway almost as fast as his legs could take him.

There were only two problems with this; One, he had no weapons to fight the guards that he would surely come across and two; he had no bloody clue where he was going!

Flailing his arms madly, Jack skidded down a nearby corridor and turned only to be confronted with a humongous glass paned window – and a dead end!

"Bugger, bugger, bugger!" he cursed beneath his breath as he went back on himself.

And now you can probably guess what happens next.

There stood at least 5 burly and muscled guards, clearly no match for one weapon-less man.

Defeated, the infamous Jack Sparrow sighed, once again clasping together his two wrists together;

"Clap 'em in irons, eh?"

--

"'Ey! Careful, mate!"

Arabella looked up, gravely, dragging her auburn curls away from her eyes to only catch the sight of Jack sprawled out on the floor, hat flung on top of him, in the cell next to her own.

"Wow, Jack, I think this karma stuff _really_ likes ye!" she sniggered to herself, slyly.

Jack shrugged. "At least he remembered me hat!"

* * *

**Author's Note****: Mmkay, here's my ramble as promised! :)**

**First; I've been doing some serious future planning for **_**My Name is Jack**_**… including a few new characters and possibly some pies! You'll see what I mean! ;)**

**Second; I've been writing chapters for my recently posted Sparrabella story, **_**Lost Memories**_**, and writing future chapters for an upcoming Sweeney Todd fic! It has no name yet…**

**Third; I've been struck with the bloody flu and I'm still recovering as we speak! (I'm not meant to be on my laptop… Sshh!)**

**Forth;** **I just got **_**Legends **__**of the Brethren Court**_**! Carolina and Diego are just AWESOME! I'm definitely gonna write something on it when I've finished reading! **

**Anyways… I'll try and update soon! Anyone have any ideas on how to make this a little more funny? Lots of serious stuff has been happening for ages in my life and my sense of humour seems to have gone! Lol!**


	9. A Disturbing Offer

**Author's Note:**** Righty-oh, mateys! Help is once again needed for the future of **_**"My Name is Jack"**_**! I have a few things I need to be… assisted with so… yeah! Details later! **

* * *

**Chapter 9  
****--  
**_A Disturbing Offer_

* * *

For the rest of the day, Jack didn't speak. Well at least not to Arabella. He paced back and forth, muttering to himself useless phrases which made absolutely no sense whatsoever.

Arabella shook her head, forlornly; they certainly had no chance of escape.

"_If only the bloody idiot didn't anger Fitz!" _she thought to herself, accompanied by a sigh, _"Looks like I'll have to sort out this mess on my own… again!"_

"… and then, the buttons just popped off!" Jack exclaimed to himself.

Belle winced at his ridiculous behaviour. She certainly didn't want to be hung due to Jack's insane actions and lack of an escape route. Yep, this was just going to be another thing she had to work out alone. But… how?

"Miss Smith?"

Her head turned instantly, causing her to only be confronted with some of Fitzwilliam's men.

"_What_?" she snapped, infuriatingly.

The men flinched as if they were mice and Arabella was a hungry lioness. In fact, I'm sure she wouldn't have minded being a ferocious predator at this moment in time; that way Fitzwilliam wouldn't have dared kidnap her… maybe Jack, but that wasn't really the point!

"L-lord Dalton, h-he wants t-t-to see you, m-ma'am…" the first of them stuttered.

Arabella rolled her eyes, rising slowly to her feet and brushing off the dust particles lingering on Xoc's beautiful gown.

"'Ey, Belle!" Jack suddenly hissed through the bars of the cell.

Arabella turned to him, now to catch the sight of her pirate friend lying sprawled out on the ground of his cell, hat tipped low over his eyes.

"What, Jack?" she whispered back, tugging her bare feet into her knee high boots as Jack rose into a sitting position, stretching out the muscles in his back.

"You know I have every inch of indisputably positive faith in you, Belle, so whatever you do, lass, don't. Tell. Fitz. About. The map. Savvy?"

She wrinkled her nose, forcing her eyebrow to rise high into her forehead. "What map?"

The corners of Jack's lips turned up into a fulfilled grin. "Good lass!" he smiled, happily throwing himself back to the floor and beginning to start casually examine the dirt encrusted in his nails, a thing Arabella noticed he'd been doing rather a lot lately.

She simply rolled her eyes and, with her hair flung back over her shoulders, she wandered from the cell, accompanied by the two shivering soldiers.

--

"Ah, Arabella, do enter, my dear!"

Belle couldn't help but stare as she stepped into Fitzwilliam's office, eyes glistening with wonder. It was a beautiful place; she'd never seen walls so high and carpets so extravagantly detailed!

"Hello Fitzwilliam," she greeted, cautiously, yet politely. "Nice, erm… place…"

Fitzwilliam grinned, as he began to pour some sort of alcoholic drink into two tiny glasses, offering one to his companion, and taking little sips of the other.

Bella sniffed at the liquid, cringing a tad. As Fitz carelessly threw the remainder of his drink down his throat, she carelessly threw the remainder of hers into a nearby plant pot, touching the edge to her lips as he looked back to her.

"Mmm…" she muttered, falsely, "Very… nice…"

One of Fitzwilliam's blond eyebrows rose. "Oh, so you like whisky then, Arabella?" he inquired, kindly.

Once again, Arabella recoiled. _"Note to self,"_ she mentally noted, _"Never drink whisky!"_

"Would you like some more?" Fitz purred, rudely interrupting her thoughts.

"No!" she jumped, perhaps a bit too urgently, "I mean… erm… no, I'm… erm… full up…"

Fitzwilliam chuckled. "Oh, you always were good with humour, Arabella!" he stated, although they both knew that really wasn't true. "Come, sit. We can speak over here." He gestured to his velvet seats either side of the oak desk (which he got his butler to scrub thoroughly after the encounter with Jack's filthy boots.)

"O-okay…" Arabella replied, a little stunned. She wasn't quite sure what Fitz was up to, but she was certain he couldn't have been this nice to Jack. It had to have been something to do with her… but what?

"So tell me," interrupted Fitzwilliam again. "What have you been up to since our last encounter?"

She shuddered a little at his sour expression; it was almost as if he suspected something… so, she blurted out the first thing that came to her brain.

"Not anything with Jack, if that's what ye mean," she stated, quickly… perhaps a bit _too_ quickly for Fitzwilliam's liking. "And I don't know anything about any map, either!"

"_Damn it!"_ she snapped inside her head as Fitz's two pathetically fair eyebrows shot up, _"Now he'll suspect that I _do_! Well done, Belle! Note to self: don't open mouth!"_

Although, to both her and her inner voice's surprise, the Lord before them burst into a fake fit of laughter. It was Belle's turn to raise her eyebrows with suspicion.

"Oh Arabella, sweet, sweet Arabella!" he chuckled, "How could you think for one moment I would even consider you would have anything to do with the map, dear? No, that's a debate between Jack and myself. No need for innocent women to get involved!"

Uh-oh…

Now, if you remember what I pointed out in the last instalment about cartoons, then I suppose you can imagine what cartoon Arabella would look like at this moment; red face redder than her hair and possibly twelve times as much smoke pouring from her ears than Fitz could even produce in his life!

"_What_?" she demanded, harshly. "Are ye saying that women have no navigational skills, Fitz?"

Fitzwilliam's eyes widened, the nobleman realizing his mistake.

"Oh, no," he insisted in his defence. "Women make fine navigators, Arabella, especially ones such as yourself. But, what I meant to say is, there is another reason you have been brought to my aid…"

Fuming, Arabella folded her arms sternly across her chest, eyes as narrow as slits. "And _what_ would _that_ be?" she spat, venomously.

Fitzwilliam slumped back into his seat, relief spreading throughout his veins. "Well, my dear, surely you _know _why women were brought onto our Earth? To cook, to clean…"

He smiled – clearly he'd been practising on copying Jack's charming grin, though unfortunately, failed miserably – directing a quick wink in Bella's direction.

"To produce heirs for men!"

Wait… yep, here comes the smoke!

Before Arabella could snap out at him, the Lord held up a hand, shooting her another 'charming' (though, I forgot to mention, just plain creepy) grin trying to win over her.

"And I can think of no-one better but you, Arabella, to supply me with many heirs!"

Gallantly ignoring her deathly expression, Fitzwilliam gripped her hand in his own and brought it to his lips.

I have to say, I admire Fitz's bravery for doing this… because I'm sure you can guess what Arabella's first instinct to do is…

_SLAP_!

Fitzwilliam wailed in pain, a red hand shaped mark spread over his jaw as he staggered backward.

"How _DARE_ ye!" Arabella roared, rising from her seat and frowning madly, "How could ye even _suggest_ that!" Gathering her skirts in her hands, she turned for the door, face literally red with fury.

"And I thought ye were _NICE_!" she yelled as a finish, hoping this would be the end of her meeting with her newly made nemesis. Unfortunately, as she stormed to the door, Fitz had other plans for her.

With all his strength, the Lord grabbed Bella's bare arms and smacked her forcefully against a nearby wall, ignoring her angry yells and squirming beneath him.

"Listen to me!" he spat in her face. "You _will_ obey me! As your future husband, I _demand_ an heir!"

"_WHAT?"_ Arabella screamed, thrashing from side to side in an attempt to free herself, "Yer bloody _insane_!"

"Insane as _Jack_?" Fitzwilliam jeered in her ear, "Shame, I thought you saw insanity as a pro in men!"

"_GET THE BLOODY HELL OFF ME_!" she yelled, her mad shaking of the head causing a whirlwind of whipping red hair.

"Sir, is everything alright?" a gruff voice inquired from the doorway.

Fitz looked, slightly releasing his hold on Arabella, "Yes, Marco, it's all fin-- OW!"

He suddenly collapsed to the ground, clutching his… erm… sensitive area, where Belle had apparently just seemed to have kneed with all her power.

Resisting her instinct to run and check if he was okay, Arabella bolted for the doorway, almost forgetting the humongous Marco was there. Again, she was grabbed, the guard's large arms securing her in his muscled grasp.

As Fitzwilliam rose from his weak position on the floor, and Arabella began to struggle yet again, Marco managed to speak out;

"Shall I take 'er back to da cell, milord?" he asked, holding her still with no trouble, though Belle was possibly using all of her strength to struggle free.

"Get off me, ye bloody brute!" Fitzwilliam could hear Arabella sneer through the curtain of red hair fallen over her face.

"Yes, Marco, do that!" snapped Fitz, pressing his hand against her throat, angrily. "My future bride needs to learn a few manners!"

"_I'M NOT YOUR FUTURE BRIDE!_" Bella screamed at the top of her lungs, but it didn't change a thing. And although she continued to scream insults, curses and… well, just about anything all the way to the prisons, it was certain Fitzwilliam wasn't going to change his mind…

--

"Come on, bloody thing!"

Yes, we are back with Jack. With one of Arabella's fallen hairpins he took from her cell, he was unsuccessfully trying to pick the lock on his door.

As he heard footsteps and… uncontrollable girlish screaming, he quickly flung himself backwards and began to examine a piece of straw as if he couldn't give a care in the world he was trapped in jail with no sign of escape.

"_I'M __NOT__ HIS FUTURE BRIDE, BLOODY DOLT! LET GO OF ME!_"

Jack couldn't help but smirk at the sight. Arabella, the usually calm Arabella, having to be restrained by at least three soldiers and still wouldn't stop thrashing. She was carelessly thrown into the cell next to Jack's, treated more like an insane wild animal than a human being.

The men didn't hesitate in retreating up the steps from the underground chamber, in a clear hurry to get away from the barmy woman.

Silence….

Jack bit his lip to stop the laughter escaping, waiting for his companion to make the first move.

"Jack…" she eventually sighed.

"Aye, luv?"

Arabella rubbed her eyes, tiredly, wrapping her arms around her skirted knees, gloomily,

"I hate karma!"

* * *

**Author's Note:**** So, there you have it! **_**–gasp-**_** How can Fitzy be so cruel?! Anyways, here's the stuff I need help with…**

**#1: Okay, I'm gonna be introducing a new character in a few chapters time. A teenage boy about 14 years old. Thing is, he needs a name; the only idea I have lingering is **Gerard**… nothing wrong with that, but I was just wondering if you guys have any better ideas?**

**#2: Right, the bigger problemo! So, we're gonna have Jack and Bella escape (obviously) but I need some people to help them get out! My first idea was Jean, Tumen and Gibbs, but I have a bigger plan for them later on, so I decided I need some more characters to do the honours!**

**I've actually been thinking about Carolina and Diego from **_**Legends of the Brethren Court**_**, but I have no reason why they would want to save our two heroes!**

**Does anyone have any idea who I could use? Make someone up if ya want, just… help! Lol! Or you can just assure me the Carolina and Diego thingy is a good idea! XD**

**Anyways, sorry about the longness of the A/N! Hope y'all enjoyed the chapter!**


	10. The Almost Great Escape I

**Author's Note:**** Um… kay, this chapter has a '1' or an 'I' (whatever you think it's supposed to be!) because it's obviously a part I of II! Why did I need to explain that? Lol! **

**WARNING! So sorry but Mr. Reece, Carolina and Diego **_**may**_** seem OOC! I've never written them before so… yeah! Lol!**

* * *

**Chapter 10  
****--  
**_The Almost Great Escape I_

* * *

Two days.

"_Two whole bloody days!" _thought Jack, as he picked blankly at his nails with a hairpin. Yes, it had been two days since Arabella's encounter with Lord Dalton. She hadn't spoken much about it, just… slept a lot and watched the day go by through the narrow slits of windows they had.

Jack, on the other hand, didn't sleep. At least not very well. And, to Arabella's surprise, he didn't think up any plan of escape, whatsoever!

Most likely, he was leaving it to karma, an extremely uncharacteristic thing for Captain Sparrow to do. Belle was beginning to think he'd lost his marbles… or, at least lost the very few he had left!

But little did our pirate friends know, a _lot_ was happening on the outside world…

--

"It's a shame, Mr. Barnes," Fitzwilliam announced, glancing over his shoulder to meet the eyes of Barnes, his loyal naval worker as the two of them made their way up the cobbled pathways towards the Dalton mansion, "When I offered myself to Arabella she showed a certain… reluctance…"

Mr. Barnes slightly sniggered. Now, this wasn't because Fitz's words just reminded an awful lot of Judge Turpin, seeing as he didn't know the man, but simply because he wasn't surprised Arabella Smith would have kicked the Lord in his balls and ran off.

"_Well," _he figured, mentally, _"She _is_ an awful lot like her mother…"_

Fitzwilliam didn't take very long to respond;

"And _what_,may I ask, is so funny, Mr. Barnes?" he inquired, looking through underneath his shadowy eyelids up at the middle aged sailor, slightly lifting an eyebrow.

Mr. Barnes smiled weakly; it was obvious he had been a handsome man in his earlier years with twinkling blue eyes darting this way and that and sparkling in the sunlight. But now, his hair was beginning to grey and stubble beginning to plaster over his once cleanly shaven face. Although, he didn't really seem to care.

"Nothing, sir," he replied, plainly, quite certain no answer he could give would lighten Fitzwilliam's mood.

Well… does Fitzy's mood _really_ ever change?

"Hm…" the noble man began to ponder, ignoring the whole of their previous 'conversation', "What do you suggest, Barnes? How should I make myself my appealing to her?"

"Really, milord," Barnes started, "Forgive me, but… I didn't think it mattered what 'the little wench' thought. You would marry her anyway, remember?"

Fitzwilliam chose to ignore his own spoken words in the tête-à-tête he and his loyal worker had shared earlier.

"Yes, well… I suppose one would not want to marry an unprepossessing man, is one not correct?"

"Um… yes sir?" Mr. Banes stammered. What was he supposed to say? 'Oh, milord, you are extraordinarily handsome! That woman is crazy for neglecting you!'? Maybe… but then our old friend would have the problem of coming off as gay…

"Maybe you should… erm… you should get… pampered, sir?" half-suggested, half-asked Barnes, pulling a slightly amused face.

"Maybe…" Fitzwilliam agreed. "And then Arabella would show no sign of reluctance?"

"'Course not, sir!" his companion quickly lied, although he was pretty convinced – no, _certain_ – this was untrue. "Women love men in uniform."

Um… sure… right after hot dreadlocked pirates, extremely cute Fall Out Boy bass players and… um, yeah, sorry about that! Carry on…

"Yes, I must admit, it does sound promising," Fitz proclaimed, conceitedly, placing a hand lightly on one hip and glancing through the corner of his eyes up at the bright blue sky as you expect a catwalk model nowadays to do, "Has to be more charming than a bothersome rat of a pirate!"

Now Mr. Barnes was utterly lost. "Excuse me, sir?"

Lord Fitzy cast a glance back to his cohort as they continued on their expedition back home. "Oh, haven't you heard? I've finally caught that blasted pirate Jack Sparrow."

If this were a movie, the cameras would flicker over to Barnes, whose eyes would be widened and mouth shaped like a thin 'O' in shock.

"Yes," Fitzwilliam continued with self-pride, "After he murdered Lord Beckett, he seemed to have it coming to him." He slightly giggled. "And to think, the fiend tried to talk to _me _about karma!"

Smirking, he looked back to a dazed Mr. Barnes. He slapped his travel companion on the back, jerking the older fellow back to reality. "Shall we continue?" he rhetorically inquired, beginning to pace on forwards before the answer could escape Barnes's lips.

"I'll catch you up, sire!" he called after a striding Fitzwilliam, a tingle sent down his spine.

"_Jack Sparrow? Could it be?"_ he spoke to himself, mentally as he turned back on himself, expression bewildered. _"I have to go!"_

Where was our dear friend going, I hear you ask? Why, to the prison fort, of course! Where else was Mr. _Reece_, of _La Fleur de la Mort_ to go?

--

It didn't take very long for Fitzwilliam to return to his humble home, though it _was_ mid-afternoon when he did get there. Walking in through the huge doors and across the dark marble tiled floors, our Lord couldn't help but grin; he definitely _had_ beaten Jack with riches if anything.

Deciding he would return to his office, figuring he would work on the capture of Jack's family so he could force his old nemesis to watch them trudge to the gallows before he was forced to himself, Fitz practically skipped with joy past the extravagant furniture, pot plants and beneath the many chandeliers.

And why shouldn't he be happy? All his enemies would soon be dead and he would have a beautiful wife and lots of little red-headed kiddies running around his ankles. Oh, the joys of life!

Although, he did have a few unexpected visitors waiting for him intently in his office…

"Lord Dalton!" a plump soldier bowed as soon as he noticed his leader. "Here we have the woman you requested; Princess Carolina, twenty-second in line for the Spanish throne!"

He stepped to the left to reveal two figures; both of them dressed in males clothing though only one of them seemed awfully feminine with long black hair tumbling from beneath a tricorn hat, dark eyes flashing this way and that. But they immediately turned to be fixated on Fitz.

"I keep telling you," she breathed in perfectly fluent English through gritted teeth, "I am _not_ Princess Carolina!"

"I believe I will make that decision," Fitzwilliam ensured them, smugly stepping up to the 'princess' as if he owned the room… which he technically did, but you get my drift!

She turned up her nose, and narrowed her eyes, in an attempt to disguise herself, though didn't flinch. Not one bit.

The young man standing aside her struggled a little when Fitzwilliam reached out his thin hand to drag the stray strands of hair away from the adolescent woman's face, lightly running his rough fingers over her tanned complexion.

She cringed, eyes shooting open, trying to yank herself free.

Fitz backed up, smiling in triumph. "It's been too long, my _princess_!" he mocked a bow toward the apparent Princess Carolina, who merely scoffed in response.

"So, maybe she is of royal blood," the thick Spanish brogue of her companion admitted, though in a threatening tongue. "But wouldn't that mean Carolina has more power over you in the first place?"

Carolina smiled, softly. "True, Diego," she declared, with a smirk of her own, "And as my first wish, I command you to let my friend and I go!"

Her voice was firm and final, and it would have worked… but you may now know Fitzwilliam _always _plans ahead;

"Do you have any reason why I brought you here, Princess?" he changed the subject, quickly.

Carolina growled from the centre of her throat. "Don't call me that!" she muttered, quietly, "And, no, I'm afraid I'm clueless, Fitzwilliam." Her words were dripping with venom although beneath they were shaking.

Could she be scared? Even Diego – Diego, who possibly knew this girl best in the whole world – couldn't tell.

"Well, any information you may possess would be useless now - you _did_ take your time to get here," continued Fitzwilliam, yet another time starting to pace back and forth across the wide span of his vast office, however didn't fail to stop in his tracks, flashing every one of his almost unnatural seeming pearly white teeth at Carolina and Diego;

"Seeing as Jack Sparrow was caught off the coast of Yucatán Peninsula."

He paused to catch a glance of the expressions on his visitors' faces; one word could explain; shocked!

Carolina's dark eyes were stretched wide and very lightly glancing over to Diego, whose - although he was most likely unaware - jaw was dropped almost slapping against his neck.

"Ah…" Fitzwilliam jeered at their facial expressions, "I gather you've heard of our dear Mr. Sparrow?"

"_Captain_ Sparrow," Diego corrected through a raspy voice.

That smug smile you can probably picture rather well in your mind by now spread yet again over Fitzy's face. "Yes, I thought you would say that!" he sneered over false laughter, flooding the room with a deafening sound.

"So, what are good are we to you?" Carolina asked, black strands of hair collapsing over her face, "If you already have Jack, then what use are we?"

A crooked smile (though no-where near as beautiful as some people usually find them) danced across Fitzwilliam's vaguely parted lips. "Oh, Carolina," he muttered, somewhat sympathetically, "I have _big _plans for you two…"

--

Now with a cliffhanger ending on that tale, we take ourselves back to Mr. Barnes… or possibly more commonly known among the pirates as Mr. Reece, who in his old age had just about found his way to the prison.

What can I say? Old age jerks with your memory a little! No wonder Jack wants to stay youthful. Anyway…

Reece, red bandana plastered over his slightly wrinkled brow ended up practically tumbling down the stairway to hard ground of the prison fort, moaning a little in pain.

Obviously Jack and Arabella heard this crash; hell, being stuck in jail for two days straight even made a pin drop sound like a bloody thunderstorm! Especially to Jack, whose insanity was already over the line of normalness!

"Hello?" Arabella called out. Something told her this wasn't one of Fitzy's men; none of them would dare be so clumsy!

"Ow…" Reece muttered to himself as he clambered to his sea-booted feet, holding a hand gingerly to his bumped head. Though it didn't stop him raising an eyebrow as Bella's voice flooded through the narrow halls to reach his _very_ faintly impaired hearing.

Arabella glanced to Jack, her curiosity sparked. "What do ye think that was?" she solicited, brown eyes growing a tad wider.

Jack shrugged. "Probably just a rat, luv," he said, simply with a sly smirk to accompany it.

Belle shot him 'the look'. In fact she shot him 'the look' she seemed to have edited especially for her him since their recent meet up.

"Jack? Jack Sparrow?" Mr. Reece's voice bellowed out, bouncing off the walls until it hit Jack right in the ears. He would have complained about the loudness of the voice, but something else got him peeved.

"It's _Captain_! Captain Jack Sparrow!" he groaned, dramatically.

"Mother of God, it _is _you!" Reece's voice dribbled with relief as he appeared before Belle's cell, sparkling blue eyes fixed on Jack.

"Who are you? Do I owe you money?" Jack inquired, stupidly.

Surely we can trust Arabella to recognise the loveable pirate Mr. Reece? Why wouldn't she? After all, the two of them sailed alongside her mother for quite a few years…

"Oh my stars!" she gaped, gathering her skirts in an arm and rising to her bare feet, gradually. "Mr. Reece? Is that… what are ye doing here?"

Reece flashed them both a smile of slowly yellowing teeth, slithering his hand into the pocket of his Navy jacket, revealing a ring of rusting silver keys jangling against one another as he gently shook them to and fro.

Arabella smiled, a beam of light seeming to shine around her whilst she clasped her hands together, stifling the release of an excited squeal.

And as for Jack?

Well, let's just insert a witty cliffhanger ending here.

Ha!

* * *

**Author's Note:**** Apologies for the random ending! Lol!**

**Okay, well, I guess I used some of **_MagicCatnip_**'s ideas on how Jack and Arabella escaped but just so you know:**

**I ****WILL**** USE ALL SUGGESTIONS EVENTUALLY!**

**I actually had trouble deciding if I should use **_Oceangoddess_**'s or** _xAquatic-Gypsyx_**'s escape plans but when I saw the name 'Mr. Reece' in **_MagicCatnip_**'s review, it was automatically decided! Lol! Did I mention I love Mr. Reece? Well, yeah, I do! Lol!**

**But I REALLY loved your ideas, guys, and I will DEFINITELY be using them! I love to write jail scenes, so you're probably gonna see a lot of Jack behind bars! Lol!**

**Also, **_hurricane1714_** gave me the idea to introduce Will into the story… and I decided… HE'S GONNA BE COMING IN!**

**The basic storyline is Will simply meets one of our recently met friends aboard the **_**Dutchman**_** and they become a crew member! Easy as! Any guesses on who? Well, before that, I might have to make him meet Norrington first! I love Norrie!**

**So… yeah! I'm now taking suggestions! Got any good ideas? Want Jack to randomly run into the Little Mermaid? Or how about Sweeney Todd offers him a shave? Maybe I could somehow zap Edward Cullen into the story?**

**Your wish is my command!**

**Don't forget to review! Crap… this is the longest A/N so far! The next one **_**will**_** be shorter! Lol!**


	11. The Almost Great Escape II

**Author's Note:**** This was originally meant to have Will in it, but I've realized I need to plan a little more for his entrance! Lol! So, here we have the great escape of Jack and Arabella!**

* * *

**Chapter 11  
**--  
_The Almost Great Escape II_

* * *

"We haven't much time!"

Mr. Reece didn't quite know if he was telling the truth, but he figured it sounded dramatic as he, Arabella and a very slow Jack made their way successfully out of the jail chamber.

"Why not?" Arabella whispered, peering around the corner, slyly. "Fitzwilliam's probably too busy planning our _wedding_ to bother checking on us!"

"Though you were meant to be sarcastic, luv, that's probably true!" Jack commented from behind them, speaking a little louder than he perhaps needed to. He lifted his head up to the grey skies, breathing in the fresh air without a care in the world.

Belle, on the other hand, couldn't seem to relax.

"Jack! Stop fooling about, ye bloody dolt!" she snapped through gritted teeth, "Ye never know _who _could be watching…"

Mr. Reece looked up from his poking-his-head around the wall position. "She does have a point," he clarified. "Fitzwilliam's men could be _anywhere_!"

It was then Jack took the time to examine their saviour for the first time. He twitched; why was Reece wearing the uniform of and East India Trading Company worker? Strikingly odd, eh?

"Um… luv?" he hissed, tapping Arabella on her shoulder, gathering her attention which she wanted to stay fixed on finding a way out of the fort.

"Why do we have confidence Mr. Whatshisface isn't leading us into a trap… one with no way out, savvy?"

Belle just blinked. She wasn't amused.

"How could ye even _think_ that Mr. Reece would be involved in Fitzwilliam's dastardly plans?" she retorted, heatedly. "He worked alongside my _mother _for many years!"

"Ah, the said mother who pretended she was dead and left you to become a pirate?" Jack quipped, sharpening his point.

Arabella shook with anger. "If we weren't in hiding from an insane little bugger such as Fitzwilliam," she began, breathing deeply, "Ye would be made into a bloody _eunuch_ by now!"

"Stow it!" Mr. Reece brought himself back into the 'conversation'. "There's a safe way outta here, just hold your tongues and follow me!"

Bella flicked herself back to their redeemer, eyes flashing through the dawning darkness. "Ye have _La Fleur_ with ye, right Mr. Reece?"

"Um…" the slightly elder pirate began to shift uncertainly on the balls of his feet, "Actually… I don't sail her anymore…"

Arabella's brown eyes widened into huge orbs resting bellow her brow. "W-what?!" she practically choked on her words.

Reece suddenly blushed as red as the bandana atop of his head. "Well, I still sail her… just not as a pirate ship. I use her as public transport, you see, I-I take people places they want to go… she's over with a Mrs. Elizabeth Turner at the moment… I'm taking her back to Port Royal once her baby is born."

As Arabella stuttered replies, Jack, who really couldn't care less about Mr. Reece's life story decided to get himself out of this mess. Taking a quick peek over his shoulder, he began to saunter off into the darkness of an alleyway, searching eagerly for a stupid looking officer.

It didn't take very long to find a slightly chubby one who seemed to be in the middle of a staring competition with a moss covered wall.

"'Scuse me, mate!" Jack called, waving his arms wildly as he strode casually up to him.

"Uh…" the man looked around himself before meeting Jack's eyes. "Oh, 'ello! What can I do for you, my good sir?"

Jack grinned; he liked the authority. "Lord Fitzy--ahh… Dalton 'as sent me to secure his sister a safe passage to England. And his father. We're just gonna need a ship is all, mate!"

"Why, of course!" chuckled the dim-witted officer, leaning against the wall, happily. "Are you a privateer, my friend?"

"Yes!" Jack suddenly said, voice jumping as he pointed at his 'friend' in realization of some strange sort. "Aye and here are my letters of Marque!" Quickly he shot his hand into the inner pocket of his cloak, flashing his list at the fellow before him and cramming it back inside within the blink of an eye.

"I didn't see it," complained the East India Trading Company worker, though still in a surprisingly cheerful mood.

"Wouldn't be surprised with this dim light, mate!" Jack responded, turning his kohl-lined eyes up to the grey clouded sky above them. "Try readin' in this and you'll strain yer eyes!"

Strangely enough, the officer burst into a fit of hysterical laughter as if some invisible force was tickling him with a huge ostrich feather. He was almost rolling on the dusty floor, the bloody idiot! Eventually – thankfully – it stopped.

Jack just stared.

"Take your friends down this route here, good sir!" he said, gesturing down the darkness of the alley way they stood in. If squinting, Jack could just about make out the end of it; a slight sight of the moonlight bouncing off the waves.

"You're a diamond, mate!" he grinned, flashing every single one of his golden teeth before turning to leave. "Oh, and I think we _won't_ tell Lord Fitzy about our little talk, eh?"

The cheerful solider nodded, to wrapped up in the excitement of 'making a new friend' to ask why. "Of course!" he called after Jack, who was making no hesitation in returning to Reece and Arabella… who he found were _still _discussing the well-being of _La Fleur de la Mort_.

"Well, she's not much use as an infamous pirate ship without the invisible sails," Mr. Reece quoted, causing Belle to nod, yet not to lay off the pointless conversation;

"Of course, Mr. Reece, but who's to know this 'Elizabeth Turner' won't be treating her like Mother used to--"

"Oh, Lizzie will treat her just fine, luv," interrupted Jack, gathering back the duo's attention. They turned to him with expressionless faces as they met his checking-his-filthy-nails pose. He was up to something.

"What have ye done?" Arabella inquired with a slight sigh.

"Secured us a safe passage, Belle," he simply explained, "And a ship…"

Bella's eyes lit up. This had to be the best news she'd heard for a long time.

She opened her mouth to speak, but Jack seemed to have read her mind, already leading Mr. Reece past the jail entrance and into his new 'friend's' alley way. Heaving yet another sigh, Arabella followed, skirts gathered in one arm, head slightly hung.

Reaching the opening of the passage, Mr. Reece paused once eyeing the solider standing there, on the lookout for Jack's return.

"We can't go down there!" he hissed, pressing his back up against a nearby wall, taking in quick breaths. "Haven't you seen the guard?"

"Ah, never mind him, mate!" Jack replied with a casual flick of the wrist as Arabella stepped up behind them, curiosity smeared over her face. "He's expecting us!"

"What's going on…?" Bella began, though neither of the men seemed to hear her.

Mr. Reece just stared blankly at Captain Sparrow, blinking his eyelids over darting blue eyes in utter confusion.

Jack merely smirked, grabbing Arabella around the waist and Reece by the collar of his pearly white linen shirt, dragging them both into the darkness of the passage way and past the chubby soldier's presence.

"Oh, good night, sir!" he called after Jack leaping back into reality as the pirate whisked past him, a struggling Belle and motionless Mr. Reece in his grasp. "Good day, Miss Dalton, Lord Dalton Sire!"

"Why is he just letting us past like that?!" hissed Arabella's demand in Jack's ear as he yelled back to the soldier, muttering the words 'poor bugger' beneath his breath before replying with no hesitation;

"Couldn't resist my charm, luv." He grinned, devilishly at her, gold teeth sparkling in the moonlight.

Arabella felt a slight smile play on her thin pink lips whilst Jack continued to drag them out of the eyesight of the still-waving soldier, dark brown dreadlocks lightly crashing against her cheek.

Usually she would have stopped to examine the beauty of the night; the glistening stars, the thick blackness of the sky and the huge craters of the moon bouncing off the rippling waves but her only priority of the moment was to get as far away from Fitzwilliam as soon as possible.

And, luckily, it seemed to be Jack's too.

After enduring a few twisting pathways and turning streets, Jack stopped them, letting go of Belle's waist and releasing Reece, causing the dazed elderly sailor to crash to the floor with a bang.

Arabella resisted the urge to roll her eyes, crouching over Reece, attempting to bring him back into reality whilst Jack sauntered off down the docks, arms flailing more than they usually would.

Making his way to the fastest seeming ship latent at the bottom of the wooden platform, he began to ponder; why had he brought Arabella and Mr. Reece to safety along with him? He never usually helped others unless something seemed to be in it for him… _was_ there something in it for him?

He shook his head lightly. This was too confusing to think about. He would just get aboard that ship, gather up his two companions and lead them to safety back in Tortuga… but why did he need to take them along? Did they offer anything for him?

This karma stuff was really getting to Jack.

For a slither of a moment he convinced himself he would leave them… yes, that's what he would do! That's what Captain Jack Sparrow _does_…

But then he looked back.

Arabella seemed to shine like an angel in the night. He couldn't just leave her. She had to be the best friend he'd ever had… no, Jack would leave Arabella like she had left him for _La Fleur _in New Orleans… though he had left her before…

He suddenly smirked to himself. What was he _thinking_? Jail had obviously tweaked his insanity. Yes, that was it. Arabella was just his first mate, his best friend… he didn't love her… had he loved her before, though?

Jack couldn't even remember. He just hauled himself aboard the ship… and he called for Belle and Mr. Reece.

He sighed as they began to run for the ship. It seemed like the old Jack Sparrow had gone…

"_Hopefully not for good, though,"_ he thought with a small grin.

--

Carolina was shocked.

Diego was shocked.

Fitzwilliam was… laughing.

As the two pirates were bundled into the cell, both were contemplating on Fitz's proposition. He promised to keep them alive if they helped. If not, it would be a painful death for them both, before, of course, months of torture.

Carolina sighed, resting her head on Diego's shoulder as they took their positions on the bench. Diego wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer to him, breathing in the sweet fragrance of her raven black hair.

"Diego?" she whispered once the soldiers trudged up down a level of the jail, clearly going to check on Captain Sparrow and the 'future Mrs. Dalton'.

"_Si_?" he responded, equally as quiet as the footsteps faded into the distance.

Again, Carolina sighed. "What are we going to do?"

She felt Diego shrug against her. "We don't have a choice. Help Fitzwilliam capture – and kill – the Sparrow family or die…"

"But… there has to be a way out of this," assumed Carolina, almost inaudibly, "Before we know it he could be depending on _us_ to murder all the pirates in the Caribbean… no, the _world_…"

"I know…" Diego said, in all honesty. "But Captain Sparrow will find a way out of this… he always does…"

The Spanish princess nodded, heaving a small sigh through pursed lips. Little did she know, the moment between them would soon be ruined as the two soldiers sprinted back up the stone staircase, literally pulling their hair… ahh… _wigs_ out with some strange emotion I can't even begin to explain.

"You bloody pirates! You better not have 'ad anything to do with this!" the stronger seeming of the two spat, crashing his body against the bars of their cell in anger, his ugly face quite accurately turning red.

"Pierre, they couldn't have!" spluttered the insanely skinny one behind. "They've been with Lord Dalton the whole time!"

"They must've sent recruits in!" steamed Pierre, cramming his huge head against the rusting bars again.

"¡Señor, no hemos hecho nada!" blurted out Diego in thick Spanish, clearly unaware they couldn't understand his native tongue.

"_Stop_ that!" yelled the second officer, nervously. "Inform Lord Dalton! We may be able to still catch them!"

"Sir, what's happened?" Carolina's musical voice inquired, the two rising abruptly from their seat.

"J-Jack Sparrow…" stammered the soldier as Pierre whisked himself ungracefully away. "H-he's escaped!"

* * *

**Author's Note:**** Slight cliffhanger, I guess! Lol! Random Spanish from Diego… playing with the translator was fun! Anyways, I'm really happy; this story is REALLY picking up! Soon enough we'll have some insane randomness coming in… Yay!**

**Oh, that somehow reminds me; I have a poll on my profile page; a few ideas for this story! I'm probably gonna use most of them anyways, I just really want an opinion!**

**Well, thanks for reading! I wanna get 50 reviews before I update… think you can help me out? :D I **_**promise**_** more Sparrabella if you do! **_**And**_** more of Diego and Carolina!**


	12. Tortuga Revisited

**Author's Note:**** Oh. My. God! I am SO bloody sorry this took AGES to be updated! I've been having troubles, blah blah blah! See the rambly end A/N for full details! ;)**

* * *

**Chapter 12  
****--  
**_Tortuga Revisited_

* * *

"Um… Jack, are you sure it's safe for us to be here?" Arabella stammered, nervously. She anxiously clasped her delicate fingers around his filthy shirt, which, if he had to admit it himself, made Jack feel sort of good.

"Relax, luv," he cooed, his trademark grin appearing yet again. "You should know better than anyone, Belle… no Navy folk'd dare comin' to Tortuga!"

She gulped, unconvinced.

"Well, except James Norrington…" Mr. Reece continued. "But I hear he wasn't right in the head!"

Jack nodded with agreement, "Smelt funny too."

"Jack."

Bella's voice – even though stern still sounded like wind chimes – caught their attention yet again. Her red hair blew slightly in the rippling breeze, a breeze which also stung against her cheeks and face.

She sighed, ever so gently, directing her eyes to the ground, following the pace of her footsteps as they wandered on through the roaring town of Tortuga;

"What are we really doing here, Jack?" she asked, "We doing perfectly fine without a crew and ye know that! Besides, any one of our future 'new recruits' could be a spy for Fitzwilliam, and ye _know_ I don't fancy the idea of giving him some heirs any time soon!"

"There is a point," tuned in Mr. Reece, speaking with such a small voice he could hardly be heard.

However, Jack simply smirked, "Ah, Belle. Surprising how little amount of faith you have in me after all we've been through!"

Arabella scoffed, "Ye _are _pretty unpredictable."

"Yes, luv, but that's really not the point."

She sighed impatiently, the unpleasant musky Tortugan air wafting in through her nostrils. "Alright," she breathed, gently. "Then why are we here?"

Jack opened his mouth to respond, although he was very firmly interrupted by an intolerant Mr. Reece.

"He wants to cross more things off his karma list so we have more hope of escaping Lord Dalton," he confirmed, snatching the words straight from the captain's descended jaws. "Probably most of the women he's done… er… wrong are still in Tortuga."

Jack snapped his lips back together as Arabella turned to him, an exasperated glance dominating her face. He grinned ever so slightly;

"Couldn't of put it better myself!"

Enter angry steam-ears cartoon Arabella; "Ugh! Jack, some things never change; yer still as much as a bloody dolt as ye were when we were kids!"

Slightly un-pursing his lips to retort, Jack raised one finger in an 'as-a-matter-of-factly' way, disregarding the fact an angry Arabella Smith stops for _no-one_. No exceptions. Especially for him.

"Can't ye open yer mind to the fact that yer precious karma isn't going to stop Fitzwilliam? He knows what he wants and he isn't going to give up! Some imaginary belief won't protect us! We have to do something that will _WORK_!"

Silence.

Jack looked to Mr. Reece who was oddly blushing as red as his bandana. He resisted the urge to raise an eyebrow at the elderly sailor. Instead, he turned back to Arabella and, to her annoyance, shrugged.

"Come _on_, Jack!" she protested with exasperation, "can't ye just grasp the fact that karma just isn't real? Ye've helped Tumen, and yet nothin' happened to us! Fitzwilliam still caught us even after we did somethin' good! Wouldn't it have protected us?!"

Jack blinked. Oh, he had a comeback; like always; "Ah, but without said karma, we would have never escaped that perfidious little eunuch's hands, and saved ourselves from such a grim fate!"

From behind them, Mr. Reece scoffed. "No thanks to me then!" he mumbled, directing his gaze to the dusty ground with a slight roll of his eyes.

"No offence, mate," Jack quickly added.

Arabella, however, was still unconvinced. She folded her arms tightly across her chest and stood still, just as stubborn as ever.

To Mr. Reece, by the looks of things, neither of them would give up this argument. And, by experience, he knew Jack _certainly _wouldn't!

"_Fine_!" Arabella eventually snapped, slamming her foot down against the floor, dramatically. She flung up her finger, directing it at Jack's smug face, "But don't ye _dare_ come crying to me when ye're bloody karma plan falls apart, Jack!"

The captain flinched back, somewhat intimidated by her pointing, "Wouldn't dream of it, luv," he called sardonically as she began on forwards with Mr. Reece, linking her elbow within his own for security.

She couldn't help but reveal a smirk at Jack's charming sarcasm. "Don't push it."

--

"Alright, listen up! Um… can I have everybody's attention? Er… please?"

Jack rolled his eyes slightly at the terrible approach of Mr. Reece's announcing skills. The poor elderly sailor was hardly noticed; even the fact he had a pistol quivering in his hand and he was propped up high on a wooden table didn't help.

"I can't believe you're making me _do_ this, Jack!" he hissed through his teeth at the now vaguely sniggering pirate.

"Well to be honest, mate, you weren't really my _first_ choice for the job…" The captain muttered, jerking his head in Arabella's direction; it was fair to say she wasn't being _entirely_ helpful, all hunched up in her seat with a refusal to do what Jack wished her to.

He shook his head, those cursed thoughts of Belle swimming back into his mind; those annoying ones that made him _feel_ stuff. Yes, _those _thoughts. _Those_ horrible thoughts he could really do without.

He curved himself back around to Mr. Reece, waving his hands up at his announcer, impatiently. "Go on!" he beckoned, "We'll never get a crew at this rate!"

Mr. Reece rolled his eyes. "Um… excuse m--"

_BANG!_

Silence.

Mr. Reece closed his mouth, gratefully and turned his head along with the other inhibiters of the Faithful Bride. Everyone's eyes were now engaged on Arabella, stood, smoking pistol in hand, on a rotting table a few metres back from Jack and Reece.

All the sailor's and worthless salts had her undivided attention.

"And_ that_ is how it's done!" Jack commented, contentedly. Yanking Mr. Reece from his high position, he flung his arm around his shoulders, smirking ever so slightly; "Again, no offence, mate!"

Reece just scowled.

"Alright, listen up!" Arabella chimed back in. "We're lookin' for a good strong pirate crew to sail with the once-captain of the most infamous pirate ship in the Caribbean!"

A few murmurs and excited whispers passed throughout the crowd, bringing back Belle's bright and proud smile to her face. After all, she figured the sooner Jack found a crew, the sooner they could get away from Tortuga; it wasn't the place of greatest memories for her, in all honesty.

"Line up over there, aye?" she yelled out again, bouncing down from the table whilst gesturing over to the opposite corner of the room.

A chorus of 'ayes' tuned into the rowdy atmosphere of the tavern.

"And preferably sailors with a traumatic and tragic life story which I can some what make better," Jack suddenly added to her speech. The eager yells and cries were immediately cut down to much fewer.

"Oh, come on!" Jack continued, waving his arms around freely, "Nobody want the help of good ol' _Captain_ Jack Sparrow?"

Yet more people vanished from Arabella's gathered party.

"This is embarrassing," Mr. Reece observed as he and Belle reluctantly began to trail after an oblivious Jack into the damp corner of the room. They shared a sigh once their captain settled himself in the position at the table – here giving him the opportunity to actually _speak_ to the – if there were any left – likely candidates for his crew.

However, to their greatest amazement, it didn't take very long at all for two applicants to head straight for them, walking in exact harmony with one another. The first seemed to be nothing more than a boy; perhaps 14 at the eldest. His short messy brown locks were hidden beneath a filthy cap and he seemed far too young for someone Jack should have known…

Yet still, this young lad caught all three pirates' attention.

Escorting him was a much taller and muscled man with hair almost as long as Arabella's tied up behind him. Maintaining the stray strands fallen over his eyes was a thick grey bandana accompanied with a cap similar to his younger companions.

As they advanced towards him, Jack began to clear his throat.

"And what makes you worthy enough to crew _The Black Barnacle_?" he asked, saying his combined name for their stolen Navy ship with pride.

"I think you know my father, _Capitaine_ Sparrow," the young boy answered instead, accenting his voice in such a recognizable way, it sent shivers down the back of Arabella's spine. On the other hand, Jack seemed to shake it off rather quickly.

"I know lots of fathers," he announced, casually, "I know some fathers' fathers, in fact. I even know one lad's father's ex-lassie, eh, Belle?"

Arabella rolled her eyes, vacantly.

"_Oui_, but I believe my nephew is referring to Jean Magliore, sir," declared his elder cohort, itching his head in a somewhat nervous manner.

"Ah…" Jack responded. Well, of course! He could see that this lad was Jean's now! Sans for the brown hair, he was an exact duplicate of young Jean Magliore. "Jean having a son? Never would of thought of that!"

"Jack, Jean _told _us he had a family at the Yucatán," Arabella stated, folding her arms across her chest.

Jack blinked. "Well, he never told us he had a brother!" he exclaimed, gesturing towards the young boy's apparent uncle.

"Actually, brother-in-_law_," he corrected, his French brogue just as thick as his nephew's. "Jean told you he married my sister, _oui_?"

Captain Sparrow stared, unblinkingly. Unwillingly, he glanced back over his shoulder to Arabella, who nodded her head, slowly. Mr. Reece stifled a slight laugh, only gaining him her elbow prodding his ribs, roughly.

"Ah yes… Aveline wasn't it?" Jack's memory refreshed.

"Av_ril_."

The pirate shrugged, unreceptively. "Potato, _pa_toto," he articulated.

Belle rolled her eyes before politely glancing over at their guests. "So, what can we do for ye?" she picked up. Her cheeks were slightly flushed with embarrassment, as she could feel. However, she was fanatical to shake it off.

The lad opened his mouth, yet his uncle seemed to interrupt. "Alexandre and I would like to find you a crew," he declared, firmly.

"Oh… well, that's very nice of ye…" She shot Jack a swift look. As his response, Jack simply took a glance from his bottle of rum to grin up at the two visitors.

It would save him a whole lot of time to cross off a few of the Tortugan list items if these two were frantically running getting a crew _for_ him. And even he had to admit, he wasn't the _best_ at drawing up attention. Well, he would never _admit _it, but knowing it was a true fact deep down inside was another story.

"_Karma,"_ Jack figured as he rose from his seat. _"Repaying me, probably. And besides, havin' them around won't be so bad… we'll get to see some part of Jean again… more or less…"_

"Welcome to the crew, mate!" he said, in a welcoming manner. "But you'll have to cut off that ridiculous hair. Not the look of a pirate if you ask me."

He nodded, reluctantly. "Laurent," he introduced, "And my nephew here is Alexandre."

Alexandre smiled once at Jack, politely, however this didn't stop his words from flowing out, abruptly;

"Captain Sparrow, _monsieur_, that is not the only reason we came to find you," he began, his emerald green eyes wide. Arabella blinked; she could see the information this young boy held was greatly important to him. Obviously, to Jack, it was a different matter. Even with karma on his apparent side, the pirate couldn't presume the difference between things he should be listening to and the things he should ignore.

She sighed, wondering if any of this would ever seem to make sense to her _or_ Mr. Reece, who was scratching his thinning hair in bewilderment.

"But, sir, you don't understand!" cried Alex (who Jack had, seemingly, nicknamed), "My father needs our help! He won't have said, but he's--"

Snapping back into the reality of their situation, Belle could see Laurent and his nephew were practically being propelled across the room by Jack. Whilst his uncle was taking the shoving with ease, the little boy couldn't help but fight.

"Excellent? Daddy-of-the-year and whatnot?" Jack cut him off whilst bundling the boy away to a paused Laurent, "Good for you, lad! Brilliant in fact! But at the moment, whats say you and Uncie over there stick to finding us a crew, savvy?"

"But--"

Jack help up a finger, silencing the lad. "Now, shoo," he beckoned with a wave of his hands, "You can even have Mr. Reece!"

Reece's eyebrow suddenly shot up. "Eh?" he blurted out, a confused expression dominating his poor oblivious face.

"Yep, you three make a nice crew-fining team," Jack announced, with a grin. "Though I'll warn you," he started to Laurent, "he's not much of a crowd speaker!"

Arabella rolled her eyes, partly due to the fact she was overwhelmed by boredom. "And what exactly am I supposed to do?" she demanded whilst Mr. Reece and Laurent – Alex struggling in his uncle's muscular grip – were beckoned impatiently across the room toward the open door.

"You?" Jack repeated, turning back to his companion with a swift spin on his heals. "Oh, you, Belle-me-lass, have the immense opportunity of coming with me on a little karmic misadventure. Whats say you to that, eh?"

"I say, 'Jack, please may I go with Mr. Reece and Jean's family?'" she replied, her arms folded tightly across her chest.

The captain shook his head. "Sorry, luv. Arrangements have already been made and whatnot," he responded, flailing his arms a little before stepping to her level and flinging his arm around her shoulders.

"Ugh, fine," Arabella groaned, letting her own arms drop unenthusiastically to her side. "What are we doing then?"

"Number 342," Jack stated, waving his already half-dilapidated list in front of her blank face.

She raised an eyebrow. "Which is?"

"Impersonated a gypsy," Jack grumbled slightly. "And… did other things too."

"Oh…" Arabella hesitated. "What's his name?"

"_Her_ name," he corrected, which, if I have to admit, baffled Belle from head to toe, "is Adala... Adelaide…Andri-- ah, no Adria. Yup, that's the one!"

For once, Arabella Smith had no comeback. She gaped at her captain, pearly brown eyes fallen as wide as two shillings. Once eying her expression, Sparrow's mischievous smirk dropped;

"What?"

She blinked, the exit to the Faithful Bride gradually nearing in on them. "Y-you impersonated a _female _gypsy?" she inquired, her words stuttering more than just vaguely.

Jack sniggered in response, pushing open the door with his right shoulder, his left arm still dangling freely around Arabella. "You'd be surprised of the things the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow can do, darlin'," he ensured her with an indistinguishable chuckle.

"Oh, aye, I know," she replied as the two set off into the dim twilight streets, "I just never established cross-dressing as one of them!"

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**Author's Note:**** Hm… what's Alex trying to tell us about Jean? What will the gypsy Adria ask Jack and Arabella to do? Actually I don't know the second part to that question yet… anybody have any ideas? **

**Oh and just so you know, Alex isn't the 'teenage boy' I've been banging on about… who, just for the reference, I'm either thinking of ditching or turning into a girl… or just keeping the same!**

**And hey, guess what? I'm not stuck any more! YAY! Sorry for taking so long about updating; I've been working too much on **_**Lost Memories **_**and **_**Teardrops On My Guitar!**_

**Oh, which is posted by the way! Go read? Please?  
****  
And to **_ninja unicorn101_**; my laptop won't let me send review replies to you for some reason or other! Lol. So sorry! I'll try again in minute! My laptop had a slight virus I think... I think I need a new one! But thanks for your reviews! And thanks to all you other guys for reviewing and whatnot! ****:) **

**Now let's get up to 60 reviews! It's a good number to get to, is it not?! xD**


	13. Hygienic Gypsies? Huh?

**Author's Note:**** I'm back! Okay, this wasn't the **_**quickest**_** update in the world, but at least it's here, eh? The idea of what Jack can do for Adria came from **_Maniacal Productions_**! And sorry, this chapter is pretty crappy; I rushed it so I could get it posted! I mean, you guys are probably bouncing-off-the-walls mad at me for taking so long in updating!**

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**Chapter 13  
****--  
**_Hygienic Gypsies? Huh?_

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In all honesty, Arabella had no clue where you would find a gypsy. And evidently, neither did Jack. So I'm afraid I can't tell you how the hell they managed to end up in the middle of a swampy wood with tarantulas the size of human heads crawling across the bushes and trees.

Arabella shuddered, edging closer to Jack as a particularly large spider crawled over her booted toes. Jack cringed slightly at the sight of it.

"Forgive me if I'm wrong, Jack…" she began, slowly, "but I don't see any bloody gypsy around here anywhere!"

The captain shrugged, glancing into the dark woods. "Perhaps she moved, luv," he replied, airily, tensing his shoulders at the hoot of a particularly ugly grey owl.

Arabella widened her eyes, looking up to Jack, astounded. "Ye mean to say that crazy gypsy actually _stayed_ here?!"

Jack smirked, accompanied by another shrug of his shoulders. "Dunno, Belle," he stated. "Just a nice thing to think that we're close to finding her, eh?"

Whilst suppressing a comeback, Belle sighed swiftly moving after her captain as soon as he began to explore on; the spiders weren't exactly the easiest things to stand by for more than a second or so. She tried to think of other things, but it was almost impossible. She wondered what the gypsy, Adria would ask of Jack. She wondered what Jean and Tumen were doing without them. She wondered what Alex had so desperately wanted to report.

"_Stupid Jack; never gives anyone a chance,"_ she mind-grumbled, but couldn't help but smile; it was good having Jack back in her life. She really had missed him. Besides, he was a good man – and an even better friend – bellow the pirate he portrayed on the outside.

"Well, well, well," a sudden voice stabbed through the quiet atmosphere causing both pirates – yes, Arabella _and_ Jack – to scream like three-year-old toddler girls in utter shock.

Out of instinct, Belle tugged free her shimmering blade and waved it through the darkness. "Show yerself!" she cried, melodramatically. Jack stepped out from behind her, hiding a humoured smirk by clearing his throat loudly.

All it got him was a glare.

The bushes, however, continued to rustle which sent a rush of adrenaline through both pirates although they both tried their best to hide it from one another.

"Captain Jack Sparrow, after all this time, you show yourself again," the same voice spoke, though instead of stabbing through the silence, it drifted over the cool breeze in enchantment. Arabella looked to her captain whose shrug summed up his response as the trees and dark environment shook with the strange sort of familiar unfamiliarity.

Then, Jack smiled. "Adria, luv?"

The mysterious possessor of the voice chuckled. Her heavy cart jerked as she pushed it through the sodden greenery allowing her to show herself successfully to the two guests of her forest.

The gypsy Adria dropped her shaggy grey cloak to the ground, letting it fall around her ankles. After that moment, Jack could only gape.

She was like a goddess. Literally.

Her midnight blue silk dress hugged every inch of her body perfectly and her long, blonde hair floated far past her hips with not a tangle or even an unattractive curl in sight. Her eyes darted green at the scene before her and her lips were plump and perfectly red without the use of make-up. Silver accessories were dotted from here to there over her body and her earrings dangled low, just settling to a faultless finish above her bare shoulders. But Adria's most distinctive – and oddly enough, most beautiful – features were her regal patterned black and sapphire toned tattoos spiralling over the left side of her face and most likely down most of her body.

As soon as it was visible, her smile immediately enchanted the captain into a foolish daze. On the other hand, Arabella Smith scoffed.

A sharp glare, courtesy of the insanely beautiful gypsy, shot her way instantly and Jack seemed to fall, reluctantly, back into reality.

"_Ye're_ Adria?" Belle said in disbelief, though at the same time, with great uninterest in the matter.

She nodded, sweetly grinning at Jack. "Why yes, I am. I am the gypsy, Adria." She raised her head slightly higher in the cool air as the wind and greenery whistled around her. "Welcome, dear friends. I like to think I rule over this forest."

"_Like_ to think?" Arabella folded her arms, sourly.

Again, Adria shot her a sharp and spiteful scowl. "Yes," she hissed, rather as you would imagine a human snake to do so. The sudden change of tone in her voice caused Arabella to flinch backwards, her facial expression portraying only one emotion; disgust.

"So," the sweet voice returned. "What can I do you for _Captain_ Sparrow?"

"Ugh," Bella gagged silently, turning her back on the pair of them as Jack, very, _very_ charmingly launched into his oh so essential karmic speech. They had spent little more than a minute with the gypsy, but Arabella already had developed a great hate for the woman.

I mean, how could someone look so perfect? And it wasn't just the looks, oh no. It was the way she captivated men like a… siren with legs – perfectly skinny and sun kissed legs. It was impossible for her to be natural, Arabella figured. She had to have cast a spell on herself or something.

"_Ooh, someone's getting jealous!" _jeered an anonymous voice inside the piratess's head.

"I am not!" she scowled aloud, yet very quietly.

"_Are too!"_ giggled her mind. _"You know, Jack won't ever like her like he likes you, Belle. He's still yours. You could still get him back."_

"What?" she demanded, perhaps a little too loudly. She peered over her shoulder quickly to ensure Jack and Adria were too busy wrapped up in their own little flirty world before replying sharply to her voice, "I do not _want_ Jack!"

"_Aw, come on, Belle, you can't fool me. You can't fool good ol' Jack!"_

"Jack?" she raised an eyebrow curiously, turning her eyes up to her forehead. "What on earth is going on up there?"

She didn't expect her mind to answer her question and wasn't sure whether she was seriously going crazy when she heard the words, "what do you think, Belle?"

"_What_? What the hell are ye going on about?!"

Adria's distinctive sneer, however, immediately brought her back to the sorrowful reality of flirtatious gypsies and charming pirate captains. "Shall we take that as a 'yes'?" she glared directly at Arabella.

"Um…" Self-admittedly, Belle was beyond a little confused. And she knew not listening did no good. For this, she blamed her mind. "Uh, sure?" she took a guess, trying to disguise the utter uncertainty in her voice.

Jack smirked, clapping and rubbing his hands together, contentedly. "So it's settled then, luv!" he directed the quote at the gypsy which, strangely enough, tugged on Arabella's heart strings. _She_ was the one he called 'luv'!

Adria smiled, so pathetically perfectly. "Great."

"Right! Back to the ship!" the captain proclaimed, tightening his grip around Adria's skinny silk-dressed waist. He winked at a rather puzzled Belle as he passed on by, unaware all his companion could do was gape in bewilderment.

"H-her?" she stammered. What had she missed? Surely her mind hadn't been going crazy for _that_ long!

"Yes," Adria replied, sweetly, over her shoulder. "Now Jack and I are due to be married, I can't stay around here forever! This place doesn't even have a bed, and the floor is constantly dirty!"

Anyone who knew Arabella well would expect her to make a comment on the gypsy's ridiculous statement about the forest ground, but all she could do was… well, nothing at all. Arabella froze and felt an emotion weigh down her heart so it rested unsettled and unwanted in her gut.

"M-married?" she stuttered.

"Aye," Jack grinned over his own shoulder in mid-swagger to the edge of the clearing they had found themselves in. "Exciting, is it not, lass?"

Stuck for words, Arabella remained still, standing alone in the middle of a 'dirty' floored forest with her captain – and, most likely, best friend – went sauntering off with a beautiful, yet so pathetically fake and so strangely horrible, her very presence triggered an unnecessary emotion deep inside the piratess's gut.

Eventually, after a moment or so, she could only find two words to breathe;

"Oh snap!"

* * *

**Author's Note:**** :( Series 4 of My Name is Earl has just finished, and the JERKS are cutting the show! Ya know what that means? No more Earl for England… well, I don't know if it's true, but my auntie (by 'middle-aged-Earl-twin') called me literally at half seven a few weeks ago to say E4 are cancelling the show!**

**JERKS! **

**Anyways, I've finished the chapter! Yay! Man, Arabella can't catch a break, can she? And I got her to do Joy's "oh snap!" at the end, which I am hereby insanely proud of! And yes, things will go dreadfully wrong in Jack and Adria's 'marriage'… hehe! Poor guy still has a lot to learn about karma!**

**And, good news, guys! I have a whole list of ideas of what Jack and Arabella can face on their huge karmic misadventure! But, you're just gonna have to wait and see… My lips are sealed!**

**So, review, PM, do whatever! Oh, and go check out my new Sparrabella fic, **_**My Father, The Pirate**_**. Yeah, it's another Jack-'n'-Belle daughter fic, but if I get good feedback on it, I'm thinking of posting another one which is purely a Sparrabella romance/adventure involving the **_**Wicked Wench**_** and a bunch of slaves… **

**:D Laters, guys!**


	14. Jack's Karmic Crew

**Author's Note: I'm baaaack! I'm so sorry for neglecting this story lately (as well as many of my others :/) but I'm gonna try not to – summer holidays are busy, that's all I can say... :) Well, enjoy – I'm hoping to get at least 80 reviews by the end of this chapter! We're only a few away! xD**

**

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**

**Chapter 14  
**--  
_Jack's Karmic Crew_

* * *

Raising one, dark eyebrow until it was easily hidden beneath the brim of his cap, Alex took a slow turn to face Mr. Reece, his gaze sceptic. "_This_ is a crew," he inquired in disbelief, his mouth dropping into the unmistakeable shape of an 'o' which he quickly snapped shut before Reece could comment.

Of course, poor, innocent Mr. Reece had no comment anyway. The crew of lanky, muscled young men were hardly fit enough to _stand_ aboard a ship swaying on the high seas, let alone _crew a ship_ dancing over roaring waves and... ugh, just the mere thought gave the elderly sailor shivers worming beneath his skin.

Yet he still replied; "well, you and your aristocratic ways have probably never seen a sea worthy crew of strapping young men," was all he could manage, gesturing to the misshaped line up of 'strapping young men' with unmistakeably green faces and pursed lips. Again, Mr. Reece trembled out of apprehension.

"'Aristocratic ways?'" Alex scoffed, taking this with offence. "I grew up with seven brothers in a _minuscule _house in New Orleans, so cramped my mother and father worked until their fingers bled so we could have a meal that night. Is that 'aristocratic' enough for you, Monsieur Reece?"

With a slight blush, Reece shrugged. "French ways, then."

Laurent mirrored the before expression of his nephew. He turned to the elderly sailor a serious emotion portrayed over his features as he spoke; "I think I'll just head off to find... uh... some new additions to this..." he glanced at the boys, conjuring up the right word for this line-up.

"Crew?" offered Mr. Reece, hopefully.

"Uh, _oui_," Laurent smiled back, cocking his head to one side out of innocence. Alex rolled his eyes at this, placing himself on a nearby barrel with ease and out of sheer boredom. His uncle bestowed him a glance, offering him a place to join him on his search, but the boy shook his head, quickly, taking a small dagger from his robes and flipping it with an accompanying sigh.

Alex hadn't realized much time had passed – when he looked up from his pricked fingers, he saw Mr. Reece and said crew had gone. He supposed they were aboard the ship, gathering supplies and whatnot. Yes, that would be it. With ease, he turned back to his dagger, throwing it firmly in the air and catching the self-carved handle swiftly. Satisfied, he tucked the weapon away, drumming his fingers on his knees, proudly.

"Alex! Alex!"

This voice – this young, familiar voice – captured his attention, turning Alex's gaze to a small whirlwind of a boy, ginger-topped head swerving in and out of the rowdy Tortugan crowds, heading straight for him.

"Alex!" he screeched again, hurling himself into the lad's strong arms, wrapping his tiny hands to meet behind his back, laughing insanely.

"Michel, _mon frère_, I told you to stay with Mrs Whitlock. And Helena. You shouldn't run away, _comprendre_?" He took his little brother's small hand in his own and began to pull him back into the streets and crowds much to Michel's great resistance.

"_Non, non, non, non_!" he insisted, repeatedly, tugging furiously against his brother, desperate to break free. "Please, let us come! We want to be pirates! We want to be pirates and save Daddy, don't we, Helena? We do Helena, don't we?"

"As much as I'd like to deny all this, yes, it's true," a sudden melodic voice grappled onto Alex's attention, pulling it hastily from young Michel and onto the figure of a young girl, just past her fourteenth birthday. Helena Morgan stepped up, letting her messy black hair cascade from beneath a tight fitted cap, her frame disguised in baggy clothing.

She shot Alex one nerved and uncertain smile. "We want to come," she stated, firmly.

The young Magliore felt his heart suddenly flip; the thought of Helena, his long-term best friend stepping aboard Captain Sparrow's ship, the crew fighting and threatening one another, the seas raging and knocking her down, the men drooling over her innocent, young self... He shivered, shaking his head, quickly. And, oh, not to mention his brother! Just turned seven and working aboard a _pirate ship_? How could he let that happen?

"It's too dangerous, Helena," he croaked, postponing shudders from shooting down his spine again.

"You're going," she replied. Michel nodded in agreement, clutching onto his brother's leg, tightly. "Why should it be any more dangerous for me? You've already taught me how to use a dagger – I could soon learn to fight with a blade! It would be perfect, Alex! We could stay together that way: you, me and Michel."

"_And _we wouldn't have to stay with Mrs Whitlock," piped up the youngest of the trio, pulling a disgusted face at the very mention of her name. Why, that woman had made him eat his vegetables, had sent him to bed before sundown – of _course_ he would rather sail aboard a pirate ship with his big brother and close friend. He hadn't even assumed Alex would need convincing.

Helena lifted her head up, scanning the views around them in quick attempt to change the subject. "Where's Laurent?" she inquired. "Shouldn't he be with you?"

Alex smiled, light-heartedly. "Shouldn't _you_ be with Mrs Whitlock?"

"Leave it, Alex. There's not a chance we're staying," she responded, strongly. Besides, she had figured she would be safer aboard a pirate ship than in Tortuga. This place was truly monstrous. "Whether you like it or not, Michel and I will be joining you."

"Yeah!" exclaimed Michel, throwing his tiny little fist into the air with a wide grin, belonging to both Alex and his father as well as himself. His soft eyes – the colour of a faded blue sky – sparkled with excitement as he detached himself from his brother's leg and thrust his hand into Helena's, her short five foot physique not much taller than his own, despite the fact he couldn't yet hold his knife and fork in the right hand.

Alex groaned – what would Captain Sparrow say about this? He hadn't paid the slightest bit of attention when he had tried to inquire help for his father. And with a young teenage girl and small child aboard, would he even have the civility to look out for _them_?

Helena, eyeing the expression resting on her friend's bowed head, gave out a soft sigh of her own. "I promise Alex," she began, placing one outstretched hand on his arm, comfortingly, "we'll be fine."

Once catching his eyes on her touch, she pulled away, her pale cheeks blushing. The boy's heart missed a few beats, his face falling once again – to his regret, she had turned away. All because he wouldn't embrace her closeness. Again. He sucked in a breath of musty air, before converting the subject of his mind back to the danger Helena and Michel were putting themselves in;

"Captain Sparrow won't like this..."

Waiting for her shrug or scoff in reply, Alex himself got quite a shock when Helena tensed, her dark hazel eyes widened to the size of shillings above her cheekbones.

"C-Captain _Sparrow_? Jack Sparrow?" she asked, her fingers twitching which the two present Magliore brothers had noticed was what generally happened when their friend was in a nerved or confused state. Gulping, Alex slowly nodded. If that man had laid but a finger on her before now, father's friend or not, he would have to pull back his dagger and aim.

Alright, self-admittedly, Alex would never dare do such a thing. But, in honest truth, that didn't make his care for Helena any weaker.

However, to his greatest relief, she smiled, her cheeks satisfied with a pink glow. "We are _definitely_ coming."

Yes, my friends. You and I are not the only ones confused. In fact, take your level of confusion and multiply it by the highest number you have to mind. Now, that is perhaps just about how confused our young Magliore, Alexandre was at this girl's riddles...

--

_"C'mon now, Belle, we all have bad days."_

Voices. How can they be the slightest bit helpful when they're in your own head? Arabella had been asking herself this very question the whole night they had spent walking with Adria and her ridiculously bad smelling donkey-and-cart. It was now the morning. She was still asking herself this question.

_"Will ye go _away_ already?"_ she snapped at herself, arms folded temperamentally.

She paused. Then smiled. The voices were silent. But, then again, so were her surroundings. Sauntering but a few feet in front was Jack, Adria clung to his arm like a bleeding limpet, her donkey's rope curled elegantly through the gaps between her fingers. Occasionally she laughed. And _that_ made Arabella shudder.

"Are we there yet?" Belle couldn't help but moan. As she half expected, Adria cackled with laughter. Arabella rolled her eyes, temperamentally. Surely even _she_ couldn't deny they had been walking for far too long.

"You're such a _child_, Arabella! Isn't she so _childish_, Jack?" the gypsy sneered, rancorously. The only time she dared to look back at their companion, her eyes were sparked with venom. Charming.

"Not that there's anything wrong with that, luv," Jack countered, quickly. Belle smiled – he was disagreeing with her. Although, Adria also smiled – to her, he was practically picking up on his previous companion's foolishness. Or was he? This was too confusing. Arabella had decided – she really needed some rum.

Adria's sly giggle, however, brought her back to the painful reality of things. "Of _course_ not. Think about the time _we_ have children, Jackie. They'll be very childishly cute..." Suddenly, as if remembering something vitally important, she turned on her heals and, claiming she had something to find, scooted off into her cart. The wood was thick. Good. Arabella realized she could speak to Jack without being disturbed.

"So..." she grunted. "Will we be expecting any _'Jackiekins'_ juniors to be running around our ankles anytime soon?"

Jack smirked, panicked emotions hidden easily beneath his trademark smile – the very one that made Arabella's heart race in her chest and the very one that could hide all of his raging emotions – irritation, unhappiness, anxiousness... _love_. The very thought that the love he felt wasn't perhaps directed completely toward his intended bride made him shudder beneath his very skin. He chose to ignore it as he approached Arabella, casually.

Besides, her fuming caused a small smile to spread itself upon his lips.

"I don't find it funny," she scoffed at this expression. "I think it's _ridiculous_, Jack! How can ye _marry_ that woman? Ye don't know _anything_ about her!"

The captain merely smiled with a slapdash wave of his hand. "There comes a time where one must accept the bond of a marriage... savvy?" he said, though it was only since the words had trailed from his lips he realized how ridiculously stupid his statement had sounded.

Arabella exhaled, sharply. Was there any way to get through to him? Fingers crossed, she went for her second attempt:

"Why her, Jack?" she whispered. "Why Adria? When ye get married, it's for true love, not for karma!" She shook her head, loosely. "Please Jack... re-think all this before ye make the biggest mistake of yer life..." _Ye don't know what she's capable of_, she resisted the urge of adding. She watched her friend's expression, waiting – hoping – for any sign of a second thought. At times like this, Belle really regretted the fact she could not read minds.

"Alright, no need to worry yourself, Jackiekins!" came _her _flowery, fluttery voice – yuck, Arabella felt her gut churn with Adria's sudden appearance – as the beautiful gypsy linked her arm with Jack's once more, striding off with their steps synchronized with her donkey's. "I'm back now!"

_"Well, this is the complete opposite of fair,"_ chimed back Arabella's inner-self, as the angered piratess began to drag her feet after the 'happy couple'.

She sighed, booting a crooked little stone into the bushes to her left; "Tell me about it."

--

"Helena, will you _please _tell me what's going on?" a distressed moan released itself from the back of Alex's throat. He glanced up to his friend; Helena had positioned herself on a nearby barrel, her legs swinging back and forth to the melody she hummed. The sunlight had caught onto her face, highlighting the dark freckles he knew she hated but secretly, himself, adored.

Michel sang gibberish along to her tune, swaying back and forth as he sat at the barrel's foot, legs crossed tight.

"It'll be a nice surprise," she smiled, knotting her fingers together and twiddling her thumbs. As his uncle brushed past him, arms full with crates and boxes, Alex shot Laurent a look – a 'please-talk-them-out-of-this' look – but in a response, his uncle shrugged his shoulders and marched on up the gangplank to an organizing and partly stressed Mr. Reece.

"Donkey! Donkey!" exclaimed a suddenly intrigued Michel. Whilst the boy leapt to his feet and began to bounce on his toes, nearing the docked ship was none other than Jack and Arabella, alongside a heavy cart lugged by a tiresome donkey and sided by a beautifully elegant woman which immediately captivated Alexandre into a wide-eyed stare.

From his side, he heard Helena snort, which pulled away his attention. She wrinkled up her nose which indicated in him shooting her a reassuring smile before he could stop himself.

"Jack!" Mr. Reece exhaled in relief, racing to the captain's side with a thankful glance.

"Ah, Master Reece!" Jack chirped, happily. "Allow me to introduce my fiancée, Adria... um... _Adria_! She'll be joining us on our quest for good karma and whatnot," finished he with a casual swash of his hand.

Reece instantaneously arched his eyebrows, stammering the word 'fiancée' through condense breath.

"Is there a problem?" sneered the gypsy, propping herself securely against Jack's chest which caused the pirate to smirk insanely. From behind the two, Arabella scowled, scuffing jagged and sharp lines into the dirt with the point of her suede boots. Anxiously, Mr. Reece glanced down to his own shuffling feet at her outburst, his cheeks immediately turning a darker shade of red than his bandana.

_"Charming,"_ Arabella mentally sneered, before piping up, "there's no _way_ ye can take that thing aboard our ship!" instantly directing a finger towards the scruffy grey mule and the cart he was dragging sorrowfully behind.

"Nonsense, luv," Jack replied before Adria had the chance to – almost undoubtedly – bite Arabella's head off, "we can make the space, aye, Mr. Reece?"

To Belle's most unhappiness and regret, her mother's old first mate agreed far too quickly for anyone's liking. Her heart ached and wrenched in her very chest as she watched this scene before her; why was it? Why was it her pulse would speed up and heart would throb to the extent of sheer pain every moment she watched Jack with that... _woman_. She yearned for every moment she could stand with Jack alone, just so she could edge a little closer to him. She hadn't felt this way since... since Billy. Since her first love.

_Love_.

Immediately, the piratess felt sick to her very stomach, condensation beginning to prickle on her forehead. _Love, love, love, love, love..._ Did she... Had Arabella Smith fallen for the charming and dashing pirate Captain Jack Sparrow?

"You look dreadfully familiar..." Jack started as Belle silently battled with her emotions just mere metres behind him, staring straight into Helena's warm grey eyes, "do I owe you money?"

Unsurely, the girl shook her head. "I-I'm Helena Morgan," she stumbled eventually, quite unsure of what she could say to the infamous pirate captain before her, "I... you knew my mother... And... she... um... was quite fond of you... You... well, sorry if I seem too bold, Captain Sparrow, but you pursued her, slept with her and broke her heart."

Jack raised an eyebrow, ignoring his new fiancé's heated glare now fixed on him. "Well... that's interesting..." his response came, indicating a quick roll of the eyes from Alex.

"Would it be... okay if my friend, Michel and I come... with you?" whispered Helena, making it unmistakeably obvious the appearance of the captain had knocked her confidence down a notch or so. Alex held onto his breath, closing his eyes into a squint. There was only one thing he was desperate to hear: no.

"'Course, luv!" cried Jack with great eagerness, throwing out his arms energetically. "And say... would one bonnie lass take this as said repayment for the apparent sadness caused to one's mother due to another one's actions... savvy?" he rambled, watching Helena's expression darken into confusion with a twitch.

"Um... y-es?" she answered uncertainly.

Captain Sparrow smiled. "Good lass."

"WE'RE GONNA BE PIRATES!" Michel abruptly yelped, leaping as high into the air as his little legs could propel him. Helena laughed as he grappled onto her hand and dragged her up the gangplank and began scanning the whole of the ship with a thrilled smile.

"Uh, Captain Sparrow about my--"Alex decided to pipe up, inquiring help for his father at least one last time, but was cut off by Adria's flirtatious laughter. He sighed, sadly whilst watching the gypsy smother herself all over the captain. Obviously, Jack was quick to postpone the conversation leaving a poor Mr. Reece with the job of lugging Adria's donkey and cart aboard as he insisted on showing his wife-to-be every nook and cranny of his ship.

The boy groaned; was there ever a good time? Falling back into step with a depressed and saddened Arabella, Alex plucked up the courage to ask her, "bad day?"

She sighed, "ye have no idea."

* * *

**Author's Note:**** Aw... poor Belle. Poor Alex... I kinda rushed this, so the writing isn't really that good, but I guess I just kinda wanted to post! I assure you, the next chapter _will_ be better... *evil smirk* Oh, and I just realized; Alex and Helena could be like the new Carolina and Diego! That'd be cool! **

**Alright, I should be updating... sometime soon? But I wouldn't get your hopes up – my guitar, Jasper, and I are pretty darn busy at the moment... besides, I just won a bass guitar for £40 off eBay! :D AND it's purple!**

**But hopefully, I'll find the time to look after my little stories. No, scratch that: I DEFINATELY will! Pressure actually helps, so, please don't hesitate to yell and nag at me in your reviews! ;) Hope you all enjoyed! xD**

**Thanks again to my manager, nineteennintytwo – yes, I probably will be thanking you with every chance I have... mwhaha! :D Look out for an update in _My Father, The Pirate_!**


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